MEPs urged to join EU ethics drive

The European parliament must sign up to a stiffer EU ethics code of conduct for all Brussels decision-makers, urged Siim Kallas on Wednesday.

Unveiling an EU transparency initiative”, the European commission vice-president appealed to MEPs to get on board with his push to counter perceptions of sleaze.

Kallas is responsible for opening up EU decision-making procedures to public accountability but different Brussels institutions have different ethics rules.

The commission’s tough code of conduct forces EU executive to be publicly frank about their interests and to avoid conflicts – a standard that does not apply for MEPs.

“MEPs, if you visit their websites, there are very different pictures about how they have made open their economic interests. We want to have the same, more or less, approach as we have in the commission,” he said.

“If you are a decision maker your interests must be visible. Some interests are legal in the parliament which are not legal in the commission.”

Under current rules MEPs are required to declare their financial interests but entries are not generally available to the public.

Declaration of financial interests follows widely differing national rules in the absence of a new "statute" regualting MEP pay and perks.

The parliament's growing joint EU legislative role now means that MEPs, as lawmakers, are increasingly at the sharp end of intense lobbying.

Speaking to this website on Tuesday, Kallas insisted that parliament has to wake up to the fact that MEPs work in same “ethical field” as commissioners.

He highlights that a scandal in one institution – such as the ongoing probe into parliament’s Strasbourg rent arrangements – tars all of the EU with the same brush.

“The parliament works in the same ethical field as the other European institutions. Yes, we are separate bodies and institutions with agreements that each handles its issues autonomously but the field is the same,” he said.

“They have been discussing the huge issue of overspending of money in Strasbourg, there is now a problem in parliament but for public opinion it creates the idea that in all European institutions there is a problem. Most citizens do not make a distinction between the commission, the parliament, Committee of the Regions and so on.”

“We have the same ethical field and we want to have some kind of cooperation with codes of conduct and openness of information.”

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