MEP Irena Joveva discussed the situation of one year after the Morocco and Qatargate scandals – a review of measures to increase transparency and accountability in the European institutions at the plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday, December 13th 2023. She stressed, among other things, that weak measures strengthen political forces whose only goal is self-interest.

Joveva initially warned that the two scandals in question had severely damaged the credibility of the European Union, and people had rightly lost trust.

“I actually wonder myself how much corruption is still undisclosed. How much influence, illegal lobbying, or partial interests of MPs is there? How can many in this house still receive such large sums of money for sitting on various company supervisory boards?”

Unfortunately, not much has changed in this one year, the MP added. The ethics body, which is a toothless tiger anyway, is still not functioning.

“Transparency is necessary, but it is not enough. We need a serious body with the authority to investigate all conflicts of interest, to punish all illegalities.”

Joveva went on to emphasize that these basic standards are, after all, a necessary condition for democracy. Otherwise, it seems as if everyone in politics is the same:

“We are not, but through weak measures, political forces are being strengthened whose only goal is self-interest. The Qatargate case will remain a stain on the European Union. Let us take responsibility. Let us kill corruption with decisive measures and put corrupt politicians where they belong. Behind bars.”

You can watch the full speech here.

BACKGROUND

The Qatargate affair is a corruption scandal involving allegations that the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania, through European officials and lobbyists, attempted to influence decision-making in the European Parliament in their favor. The affair was first reported in December last year, when law enforcement authorities in Belgium, Italy and Greece seized a total of $1.6 million in cash. Eight people have been arrested on charges of corruption, organized crime and money laundering. Among the eight arrested is Eva Kailli, now a former vice-president of the European Parliament, who is at the center of the affair, where the defendants are accused of trading in political influence.

The arrests were immediately followed by a series of strong condemnations in the European Union, with the European Parliament, as the Union’s legislative body, committing to introducing the necessary reforms in the fight against corruption. In January this year, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, presented a 14-point plan to reform the European Parliament’s ethics and transparency framework. In September, Parliament adopted a number of changes aimed at strengthening integrity, independence and accountability. The adopted reforms strengthened the rules on the transparency of MEPs’ declarations of private interests, included stricter penalties for breaches of the code of conduct, provided for clearer rules on the prevention of conflicts of interest and included mandatory declarations on the disclosure of meetings with lobbyists. The new code of conduct for MEPs entered into force in November.

On Tuesday, 28 March 2023, MEP Irena Joveva attended the meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education and its first exchange of views on the European Media Freedom Act, which will establish a common framework for media services in the Union’s internal market. “No one need fear media legislation … except those who are eager to see media freedom restricted and abused,” she made clear.

Joveva began by pointing out that media freedom is of paramount importance for our democracy and that it is an area that has too often been neglected in the Union’s rule of law toolbox.

“We can now clearly see that it is easier to defend existing freedom than to restore it once it has been demolished.”

Joveva supported her view by pointing out that what happens in one Member State has an impact on others and ultimately on the whole Union, including the single market. She noted that the Regulation proposes some common basic principles—such as the rights of media service recipients and providers—which she believes should be fully endorsed to ensure their direct application throughout the Union. The act should, above all, provide legal remedies for journalists, citizens and media service providers to protect various rights, she added.

“The most important thing I would like to stress is that no one should fear this European level media legislation—with the exception of those who are eager to restrict media freedom or abuse the media for their own or partial interests.”

In her view, the Regulation introduces a soft but encouraging push towards communication between national regulators to boost cooperation within the EU, thereby increasing public access to key information and creating safeguards within the Union; safeguards which ought not to be needed in an ideal world, but the reality is simply otherwise. The Act foresees the creation of a European Board for Media Services, which Joveva believes should not only be truly independent, but also have the discretion to give opinions on various topics.

“Transparency is one of the key parts of the Act, as it touches on ownership, state funding and advertising, which I would wish to see extended to all state actors, including state-owned companies. The fact is that there already are extremely large concentrations in Union markets, and these can have important political connotations. Thus, any potential merger or takeover in the media sector should be carefully and publicly scrutinised, while ensuring that the media provider has a sufficient degree of editorial independence, regardless of ownership.”

Joveva would furthermore equip the Board with even more expertise by including a wider range of participants, such as journalists’ associations, media representatives and media experts. As she pointed out, this is crucial for its functioning, as some national regulators lack expert support, and in some cases their staff are politically selected.

She also touched on Article 17, which has stirred up some controversy in terms of striking a balance. Joveva sees a solution in the appropriate designation process, which should ensure unambiguity as to who deserves certain privileges, but would also ensure greater transparency. Joveva admitted that she was initially sceptical about media exemptions, but now believes that professional and reputable media deserve a special place in relation to online platforms, as these have an increasing influence on our lives and perception of the world.

“I would like to stress that it is the responsibility of all of us and all Member States to protect the fundamental values of our democracies, with media freedom at the very top.”

The MEP concluded her speech by expressing optimism that all further discussions on the Act will be fruitful and that cooperation between the rapporteurs on the Act will prove effective.