During the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, a debate took place titled “The Need to Ensure Swift Action and Transparency Regarding Allegations of Corruption in the Public Sector to Protect Democratic Integrity.” Speaking on behalf of the ECR Group, PiS MEP Mariusz Kamiński took the floor.
Mariusz Kamiński stated that the topic of this debate should be more clearly defined. “It concerns allegations of ‘money laundering’ by Commissioner Reynders and corruption within EU institutions,” the MEP explained.
In this context, the Polish politician recalled the scandalous “Qatargate” affair. “Has anyone been convicted in this case, despite the passage of time? No! The case never even made it to court. Were any systemic lessons learned from this scandal for the future? No!” Kamiński stated. He noted that, instead, the number of staff at OLAF had been reduced by several dozen positions, and that the draft anti-corruption directive presented during the previous term was too weak and did not apply to EU officials.
The MEP emphasized that, in light of the Reynders scandal, the key question concerns the political responsibility of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “How could a situation have arisen in which the EU Commissioner for the Rule of Law was able to engage in ‘money laundering’ while in office?” – asked Kamiński, while also wondering whether the Commission had been aware of information from Belgian authorities regarding the ongoing investigation into Reynders. “This debate cannot be the end of the discussion on corruption in the EU—it is only the beginning!” he emphasized.
