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The European Parliament decided to postpone trilogues with the Council of the European Union on the Anti-Corruption Directive until next year, despite recent corruption cases in the EU institutions, Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka informed the incoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in a letter.
In light of recent developments, the minister representing the current presidency proposed to start working together with the incoming presidency to convene a meeting of representatives of Member States and relevant EU institutions to address the issues of corruption. János Bóka expressed concern in the letter, published on X, recalling that Belgian law enforcement officials began investigating a former European Commissioner, Didier Reynders, who was until recently responsible for issues regarding the application of the value of rule of law.
The @Europarl_EN decided to postpone trilogues on the Anti-Corruption Directive until next year, despite recent corruption cases in the #EU institutions.
Just a few days ago Belgian law enforcement officials began investigating a former European Commissioner, who was until… pic.twitter.com/zZC2LeMmGG
— Bóka János (@JanosBoka_HU) December 9, 2024
He also warned that “during the previous years, there were many cases of alleged corruption and issues regarding the proper application of the principle of rule of law in the EU institutions,
but they were not followed up by a thorough and genuine investigation, discussion, and the necessary reforms – only by political posturing.”
The minister also mentioned other cases apart from the former European Commissioner. “In 2023, the European ombudsman launched a probe into European Commission officials’ flights allegedly paid for by foreign governments and companies,” he pointed out.
As another example, he recalled that in 2022, “allegations were made in the press regarding an ongoing scandal involving members and high level officials of the European Parliament, lobbyists, and their families, influenced by third countries, possibly engaging in corruption, organized crime, and money laundering, followed by the arrest of multiple suspects.” He added that while court procedures are still pending in this case, “the MEPS involved participated in votes regarding resolutions aiming to tackle corruption during the last mandate.”
The politician noted that the Hungarian Presidency already initiated discussions at the informal meeting of the General Affairs Council in September this year in relation with the respect to the rule of law principles within the EU institutions. He pointed out, however, that
in light of recent developments, more specific and targeted measures are needed that require cooperation between subsequent Council Presidencies.”
“I propose to start working together with the incoming Polish Presidency to convene a meeting of representatives of Member States and relevant EU institutions, including the European Anti-Fraud Office,” he wrote. The meeting would address “the systemic issues of corruption and rule of law violations in general in the EU institutions with a view to present an assessment and recommendations for action to leaders,” he explained.
Featured image: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka