The Qatargate scandal rocked the European Parliament and raised questions about conflicts of interest, second jobs, revolving doors, lobby transparency, informal “friendship groups”, gifts and travel, and the total corruption, but its ramifications go even further. Alongside the UEFA World Cup, tech lobbying and the role of fossil fuel lobbyists, at the heart of this scandal is this: how far will the interference of foreign and repressive governments go? in EU affairs, and what should be done about it?
For years, the Business Europe Observatory has been sounding the alarm about the regime’s repressive lobbying in Brussels, and we have consistently flagged problems in the current EU rules and institutional culture that do not failed to resolve these issues.
Below you will find all of our analysis and commentary on Qatargate and related developments (this page will be kept up to date).
Response of the Europe Business Observatory to Qatargate
Olivier Hoedeman, Research and Campaigns Coordinator of the Corporate Europe Observatory said in response to Qatargate:
“This horrific unfolding corruption scandal is the product of years of neglect that have come back to haunt EU institutions. We have called for an effective defense against the regime’s repressive lobbying for many years, but our demands have been either ignored or poorly implemented.
“Can you imagine if we all had access to an overview of who lobbyists are and who they meet in the European Parliament? And even better if we had rules that would prevent the lobbyists of the repressive regime from walking unhindered through the corridors of the institutions? These proposals have been around for some time, but they have not been listened to.
“This scandal may be just the tip of the iceberg – we don’t yet know the full extent of it. But we know enough is enough. Earlier this year, a ban was imposed far too late on dodgy Russian lobbyists. Today, Qatar is in the center of attention. These are two wake-up calls. It is not enough to take reactive measures after yet another scandal; we need a credible overall design to prevent the interference of a repressive regime in the democratic decision-making process of the EU.
Repressive Regime Lobbying
In 2015, Corporate Europe Observatory sounded the alarm for the first time about the regime’s repressive lobbying in Brussels. Our comprehensive report highlighted the role of lobbying consultancies, PR agencies and law firms in organizing influence strategies on behalf of some of the world’s worst human rights abusers. . This report included case studies on the leaders of Nigeria, Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, alongside Qatar (page 53).
Since then, we have published several other detailed reports highlighting these ongoing issues:
Influence of Fossil Fuels And Technology
Corporate Europe Observatory is concerned that the current energy crisis, caused by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, has compounded the problem of EU member states and institutions actively courting Qatari lobbying, including to ensure an increase in gas and oil imports. This is just another stark reminder that the EU’s dependence on gas is not only a disaster for the climate and for energy bills, but can lead the EU to directly or indirectly support repressive regimes. Learn more about our demands for a fossil-free policy here.
Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply is mentioned twice in the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan on Russian gas exit, while German energy company RWE has just signed a deal to secure 2 million tonnes of LNG from Qatar per year, starting in 2026, facilitated by the German government.
This is not the first corruption scandal involving a repressive regime from which the EU hopes to obtain more gas supplies. Between 2012 and 2014, the Azerbaijani regime funneled billions of dollars through offshore companies to launder money and pay bribes, including to many figures involved in the mega-pipeline Italy- Azerbaijan, the “southern gas corridor”, which they finally approved. MEPs have again been implicated in whitewashing the image of a repressive regime in the face of election rigging and human rights abuses as part of Azerbaijan’s “caviar diplomacy”.
Meanwhile, a series of articles have revealed the links between the MEP at the heart of the scandal (Eva Kaili), her extended family and the influence of the tech industry at the EU level. Questions have been raised about undue influence on the development of the European Parliament’s approaches to blockchain technology and AI. In the meantime, the online archive of LobbyFacts (the lobby data website run by Corporate Europe Observatory and German watchdog LobbyControl) has provided invaluable historical data on the “missing” entries in the lobby register of the European Union. EU. (Twitter thread here, Jan 13, 2023) LobbyFacts also revealed registered lobbyists from Qatar.
Demands For Reform From The Observatory For Business Europe
The following is a list of our priorities for urgent reform in the wake of the ongoing scandal involving lobbying by Qatari, Moroccan and other non-European government interests.
– a European Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) – we demand new legislation, like that which already exists in Australia and the United States, to set up a legally binding register with full disclosure for any government official foreign country or its representatives putting pressure on the European institutions. The registry should require that all lobbying/influencer contracts be published with additional information such as agenda of political events, media coverage, etc.
– strict and independent enforcement of the rules of ethics for MPs – the current system of enforcement of the rules of ethics for MPs is far too weak and ineffective. Independent enforcement with the power to impose significant penalties for wrongdoing, as well as strong protections for whistleblowers, are essential.
– full and proactive transparency of lobby meetings – all MEPs must publish basic information about their meetings with lobbyists and there should be a clear ban on meetings with unregistered lobbyists. Proactive lobby transparency rules should also be extended to all Commission officials who meet lobbyists.
– prohibit the interference of repressive regimes in the European Parliament – we must ensure that the ban on official and unofficial friendship groups is effectively enforced. Repressive regimes should not be able to directly or indirectly fund the work of these groups; nor should they fund the work of MEPs or European or national political parties, including their offices or foreign travel and hospitality.
– much stricter financial rules in the European Parliament – there should be measures to tackle second jobs for MEPs which cause conflicts of interest and non-chargeable daily allowances, as well as tougher action on fees, gifts, shares and advice.
– blocking the revolving door – too many former politicians and civil servants have taken lucrative jobs in companies or other organizations closely associated with repressive regimes. We need long and well-enforced cooling-off periods and lobbying bans for former MEPs.
– a legally binding EU lobby register – the current EU lobby register is too weak and needs to be made legally binding. This will allow for tougher penalties with fines and open prosecution for wrongdoing. Protecting democracy against harmful interference requires strong proactive investigative and sanctioning powers comparable to those of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for the fight against financial fraud. In addition, think tanks and NGOs should again be required to declare annual EU lobbying expenditure and think tanks should be explicitly required to publish a list of all their funders (including income from non-EU governments) and the sums involved. Lobbying consultancies, law firms or other private companies that represent human rights violating regimes or engage in online activities, data-driven disinformation campaigns on behalf of governments of third countries with the aim of influencing EU officials and citizens should be removed from the register and banned from meetings with officials. This can be implemented by expanding the definition of ethical behavior in the code of conduct attached to the EU lobbying register.
– national lobbying registers – Member States should also set up legally binding lobbying registers and FARA-type registers to cover national lobbying activities, including those of their own officials operating within EU institutions , and the activities of government agents abroad.
The Alliance for Lobby Transparency and Ethical Regulation (ALTER-EU) has written to all MEPs, as well as other transparency organisations, demanding an urgent response to this scandal.
This article is originally published on moroccomail.fr
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