By Martin Banks - 22nd March 2011
Now we have been hit not by a scandal but by a tsunami
Chris Davies
Parliament has launched an official investigation into the three MEPs at the centre of the "cash for laws" scandal.
The three deputies were caught agreeing to accept secret payments to alter laws by the British Sunday Times newspaper.
Two of them have subsequently stepped down as MEPs while the third, Romanian socialist deputy Adrian Severin, resigned from the parliament's S&D group on Tuesday.
Parliament's official spokesman told this website, "Parliament has got the material used by the Sunday Times and has opened an investigation to establish the facts in detail."
Diana Wallis, a vice president of parliament, said, "I have now received the substantial dossier of evidence from the Sunday Times which I will now share with parliament's services and which we will now start to review.
"Parliament will now begin to establish the facts in detail and I will suggest a first exchange of views in parliament's bureau on Wednesday.
"We note the resignations of two MEPs and the self-imposed suspension of Severin. These are decisions taken by the individuals themselves.
"The important thing is for parliament now to consider the individual cases and the wider implications for the institution."
Austrian Ernst Strasser, a former interior minister, Romanian Adrian Severin, a former deputy PM, and Slovenian Zoran Thaler, each put forward amendments believing they would be paid for this work with a €100,000 annual salary, a consultancy fee or both.
Journalists, posing as public affairs executives, contacted over 60 MEPs asking if they would be interested in a paid role as an adviser.
Some 14 MEPs expressed an interest and met the reporters, among them two British MEPs.
When confronted, Severin, 56, said, “I didn’t do anything that was, let’s say, illegal or against any normal behaviour we have here.”
Strasser and Thaler have both since resigned and Severin was told on Tuesday by S&D leader Martin Schulz that he should do the same.
Schulz said, "If he does not go of his own will, I will take the necessary steps to expel him from our political group."
"I have told Severin that what he did is incompatible with the values of Socialists and Democrats. MEPs are well paid. Our job is to defend the interests of our voters, not to make money by helping lobbying firms."
The governing body in Schulz's S&D group confirmed in a statement that Severin had resigned from the grouping on Tuesday morning.
"The Bureau of the S&D group took note that Adrian Severin has sent this morning a letter… announcing his resignation from the group. By doing so, he avoided his exclusion from the group."
"The Bureau calls on Adrian Severin to resign immediately as a member of the European parliament"
Schulz added, "Independently of the outcome of the inquiry by the European parliament and elsewhere, Severin has held high-level positions in his own country and internationally and he knows very well what political and moral responsibility means."
"Therefore, I hope that he will leave the European parliament to prevent further damage to the institution."
Schulz called for parliament's already strict rules on financial interests to be further tightened up and for lobbyists' influence on MEPs to be fully reviewed.
Further reaction came from EPP leader Joseph Daul who strongly condemned the behaviour of the three MEPs.
"I take note of the resignation of Strasser, who has given up all his political posts. I hope that if the facts reported are proven, the two Socialist MEPs involved will do the same without delay.
"Our citizens must have confidence in their MEPs, and any immoral or unethical conduct cannot be tolerated."
A spokesman for the British Tory MEPs said, "Conservative MEPs are the only British delegation to have in place a transparency register listing all meetings that our MEPs hold with lobbyists.
"The code also requires declaration of hospitality above €114 and forbids gifts of over €28 Lobbyists are important in the work of parliament, which often deals with very technical issues, but our policy aims to ensure full transparency in our dealings with them."
An MEP has attacked a "cover up culture" in the European Parliament for creating opportunities for political corruption on a massive scale.
Meanwhile, UK Liberal Democrat deputy Chris Davies says that the allegations highlight the need for "radical reform."
Although parliament's rules forbid MEPs from accepting money in the performance of their duties, Davies claims that no penalties have been laid down for the failure of members to disclose their financial interests, and no checks are made on the accuracy of declarations in the register of interests.
"It is a scandalous situation. I wrote to parliament's secretary general just a few weeks ago highlighting the need for reforms to be made to the voluntary register of interests before a scandal erupted that would force us to make long overdue changes. Now we have been hit not by a scandal but by a tsunami.
"There are many MEPs who work hard to promote openness and transparency but too often their efforts are obstructed by a cover up culture that prefers to try and keep quiet about bad practices in an attempt to protect the Parliament's reputation. Far from doing any good it is an approach that has spectacularly backfired and left us all tarnished.
"The assumption is that all MEPs are "honourable," yet while that is true for the vast majority the scandals of recent years have proven that it cannot be taken for granted. We need now to see some MEPs being prosecuted.
"The only good thing about these revelations is that they may they may assist the campaigners for reform bring about long overdue changes."
Davies said he had written to the director general of OLAF, the EU anti-fraud agency, calling on them to investigate the newspaper claims. He is also calling on the parliament's secretary general to inform national police authorities about the matter and to promise full cooperation in the event of prosecutions.
He said: "MEPs who behave in this way disgrace us all. I want to see them prosecuted and the guilty put behind bars."
Elsewhere, the European Public Affairs Consultancies Association issued a statement saying, "Parliament, as the only body directly elected by all EU citizens, plays an important role as a forum for debate and discussion about the costs and benefits for all affected interests on a wide range of EU proposals.
"Any steps taken as a result of this case should focus on ensuring ethical behaviour whilst preserving the quality of the dialogue with legitimate, ethical stakeholders."
