Ex-Polish FM lambasts ‘corruption’ in EU parliament

The EU parliament has failed to take meaningful measures to tackle corruption within its ranks, Polish MEP Witold Waszczykowski said on Wednesday in the wake of December’s Qatar bribery scandal. He made the comments after a parliamentary session on the topic of corruption.

Waszczykowski, who is a former Polish foreign minister, claimed that the root cause of corruption lies within the parliament’s ambition to serve as an ideological arbiter of the world.

“The debate was routine and minimalistic,” he said, referring to the meeting on Wednesday. The measures announced were only “cosmetic” and put some minor restrictions on MEPs, he added.

“All the things that really generate massive corruption – [MEPs’] extensive trips and attempts at ideological oversight of the world – will remain [unaddressed],” the Polish politician said. The European Parliament can influence the opinions of investors, rating agencies and international bodies around the world through its resolutions, including on issues outside the EU, Waszczykowski said, explaining that this creates fertile ground for lobbying and corruption.