During a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a debate took place on the need to ensure democratic pluralism, strengthen transparency, transparency, and anti-corruption policies in the EU, during which PiS MEP Mariusz Kamiński spoke on behalf of the ECR Group. The Polish politician said that “the European establishment has learned to operate behind the scenes, beyond the real oversight of citizens, in an atmosphere of impunity.”
“Once again, the public is appalled by reports of corruption scandals involving EU institutions. This time, we are dealing with illegal lobbying on behalf of the Chinese company Huawei,” said Kamiński. As he noted, just as in previous scandals—instead of reliable information and proposals for concrete solutions for the future—there is a “vague debate about nothing” in the European Parliament.
“The European establishment has learned to operate behind the scenes, beyond the real oversight of citizens, in an atmosphere of impunity,” stated the MEP.
He recalled that the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office recently revealed that an OLAF report concerning a high-ranking European Commission official’s involvement in the Qatar scandal had been concealed from her, and that this official, despite the available evidence, continues to work within EU institutions.
Furthermore, as Kamiński noted, the European Commission remains silent on the allegations of money laundering against Commissioner Reynders, which are said to have occurred while he was in office.
“His successor, Commissioner McGrath, has spoken publicly about the need to create an anti-corruption strategy for the European Union. However, beyond the slogan, we know nothing about the strategy’s provisions,” the MEP noted. According to Kamiński, the ongoing work on the so-called anti-corruption directive will not solve the problem of corruption in EU institutions, as the directive is addressed to member states.
In his view, however, simple measures could increase the transparency of the European Commission’s activities.
“Let’s introduce public, detailed financial disclosure statements—submitted under penalty of criminal liability—for commissioners and high-ranking EU officials. Let them show citizens what assets they hold and the sources of those assets. Enough with corruption in Brussels! It’s time to act,” the PiS politician urged.
