The European Commission proposed a new set of anti-corruption measures in a bid to harmonize the rules in the EU member states on Wednesday, May 3rd. But while Qatargate is implied to be the main reason for the legislation, the rules do not specifically address corruption in the EU institutions, but across the entire bloc.
If approved by all 27 member states and the European Parliament, the EU would adopt common rules against a wide spectrum of corruption-related activities, improve cooperation for cross-border investigations, and make it easier to hold suspects accountable by setting up “dedicated anti-corruption bodies in all EU countries.”
A few of the proposed measures—such as the highest-level protection of whistleblowers—enjoy widespread support from the member states but so far have been consistently rejected by the Parliament.
A separate proposal put forward by the European External Action Service could see further instruments created to bolster Brussels’ ability to sanction third countries and individuals over corruption concerns.
In the official explanation of the text, the Commission strongly implies that the European Parliament’s Qatargate scandal—involving multiple party groups, suitcases of cash, and dozens of freebies such as VIP travel or luxury accommodations—is one of the main reasons for the legislation.
“Recent events have served as a reminder that the EU institutions are not immune to corruption,” the Commission’s proposal reads.
However, while the proposed rules would automatically apply to EU institutions and staffers as well, it is the national-level public officials who seem to be the primary target. “If a high [ranking] politician is found to be corrupted, that would be an aggravating circumstance because that hurts even more into the society,” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In order to clamp down on corruption at the national level, however, the member states were encouraged to harmonize their legal definitions, adding new offenses to their criminal law. “Today, only bribery is criminalized at the EU level. But with this proposal … we will also cover misappropriation, trading in influence, abuse of function, obstruction of justice, and illicit enrichment related to corruption,” Commissioner Johansson added.
The proposal is likely to stir controversy among the member states, some of whom are expected to be resisting the further intrusion of the EU into their national legislation and criminal code. After all, letting the EU decide who should be prosecuted and why can easily be seen as another clear erosion of member states’ national sovereignty.
In contrast, the regulation puts forward no special provisions for EU lawmakers, as one would expect if Qatargate was invoked as the justification.
Instead, the Commission prepares another, separate proposal for overseeing the integrity of the EU institutions in the form of the establishment of a new, overarching EU ethics body. Further details of the proposal are to be revealed later this month, but the Commission is already dealing with enormous pressure to prove that it’s taking Qatargate seriously.
“This is not a trivial thing,” said Věra Jourová, the Commission’s Vice President for Values and Transparency. “We are going to establish a new body which will deal with highly sensitive matters, not individual cases,” she added, after explaining that the proposal is set to be negotiated between the highest-ranking EU officials in the coming weeks.
