Qatargate

EU leaders to Qatar: Where are our jets?

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If jets are being handed out by Gulf monarchies, Europe shouldnโ€™t be left out.

European Parliament cracks down on lobbyists in effort to stop corruption

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The stricter controls were introduced in the wake of a cash-for-influence scandal known as Qatargate.

After ‘Qatargate’, ‘Huaweigate’ scandal rocks EU: What happened to anti-corruption reforms?

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It was not supposed to happen again. Two years ago, after the cash-for-favours scandal known as “Qatargate” rocked the European Parliament and sent shockwaves through the EU, reforms were introduced to improve transparency. But now, fresh allegations …

Belgian prosecutors probe whether Huawei paid for letter signed by 8 MEPs

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Authorities are looking into whether the Chinese tech giant made illegal payments for a letter defending its interests in 2021.

Dirty games in Brussels and war games in Europe

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A lobbying frenzy, secret perks, and now police raids. Huaweiโ€™s cozy ties in Brussels have exploded into a full-blown corruption scandal. As the European Parliament tries to rehabilitate its image post Qatargate, lawmakers are once again at the center of allegations. With offices sealed and arrests made, there are serious questions about how deep Beijingโ€™s [โ€ฆ]

Pressure mounts on Metsola to sideline lawmakers linked to Huawei bribery probe

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MEPs are demanding the Parliament president strengthen internal reporting mechanisms.

Qatargate reforms helped us identify Huawei bribery scandal, Parliament president says

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Belgian authorities on Tuesday charged four people on counts of corruption and criminal organization.

Affaire Huawei : 6 choses ร  savoir sur ce scandale de corruption qui secoue le Parlement europรฉen

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POLITICO fait le point sur ce que l’on sait ร  ce jour de cette vaste enquรชte de corruption en Belgique.

Huawei bribery scandal reignites anti-corruption fight in EU

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Two years after Qatargate, Parliament is still split over reformin its ethics checks.

Belgian police target Huawei over alleged MEP bribes

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In a Qatargate-style investigation, police believe Huawei lobbyists may have bribed around 15 current and former MEPs with football tickets, gifts, and luxury trips to China.

Belgian police conduct raids as new corruption scandal rocks EU Parliament

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Several individuals have been arrested.

Qatargate: Belgian prosecutor asks to lift the immunity of two new MEPs

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Both lawmakers will have their legal immunity revoked by Belgian prosecutors for further investigation, if the European Parliament approves.

Parliamentโ€™s right-wing majority puts EU ethics body in the crosshairs

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Lawmakers claim right-wing coalition is using procedural tricks to “obstruct” implementation.

Brussels power couples โ€”ย 2025 edition

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Love is in the air in the halls of power.

Former MEP Maria Arena charged in Qatargate scandal

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Ex-S&D politician is charged with participating in a criminal organization, more than two years after the corruption scandal broke.

EU prosecutors probe top officialโ€™s gifts from Qatar

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The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed the opening of a probe at its own initiative, after a report this week in French newspaper Liberation claimed the European Commission was failing to properly pursue the case.

Vatican and Israel implicated in Italian hacking scandal, leaked files reveal

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Police wiretaps show the sprawling global nature of an investigation into Milan-based private detectives and their clients.

Lโ€™exception Metsola : la prรฉsidente du Parlement europรฉen et son mari lobbyiste

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Les nouvelles rรจgles de lโ€™hรฉmicycle sur les conflits dโ€™intรฉrรชts ne sโ€™appliquent pas ร  sa plus puissante membre.

The Metsola exception: The European Parliament president and her lobbyist husband

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The chamberโ€™s new conflict-of-interest rules donโ€™t apply to its most powerful member.

EU Parliament President Metsola appoints brother-in-law as chief of staff

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Matthew Tabone, a long-time aide, gets the top job in Roberta Metsola’s team.

How to speak EP

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Your guide to the jargon that’s everywhere in Brussels.

How to stay sane and clean in the Brussels machine

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Money, power, attention: Youโ€™ll need a strategy to stop Eurobubble high life from sullying your soul.

5 reasons your job as an MEP is less fun than before

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Post-Qatargate rule changes and increased scrutiny mean EU lawmakers must reveal more around their work.

Roberta Metsola reelected European Parliament president

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MEPs pick incumbent for another 2.5 years at the helm.

Imprisoned Greek EU lawmaker awaits new court decision

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Recent election of Greek MEP imprisoned in Albania fans diplomatic flames.

Want an EU top job? Have you asked the prosecutor?

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Prosecutors are still looking into allegations surrounding the frontrunners to lead the two most important EU institutions.

Can Antรณnio Costa be EU Council president despite his legal woes?

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The ex-prime minister of Portugal is the frontrunner for the presidency of the European Council, but he’s still under investigation in Lisbon.

The MEP who hated being an MEP wants you to vote in the EU election

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โ€˜Under no circumstancesโ€™ will satirist Nico Semsrott return for a second term in the EU Parliament.

Corruption, transparency: files to keep an eye on in the next EU Parliament

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The next European Parliament will need to negotiate with EU countries two key files which aim to harmonise corruption and transparency requirements for foreign-funded organisations, both proposed after a string of corruption cases, like Qatargate, shoo…

EU politicians agree to play by the same ethics rules

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That was the easy part. Now they have to agree on what those baseline rules should be.

A new EU Body for Ethical Standards: Final destination or important interim step?

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Markus Frischhut, Jean
Monnet Professor (EU law, ethics and values) at Management Center Innsbruck,
Austria and Adjunct professor at โ€˜Alma Mater Studiorum – Universitร  di Bolognaโ€™,
Italy

Art credit: William Hogarth, An Election: the Polling

 
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Court testimony indicates Jim Biden was in business with โ€˜members of the Qatari governmentโ€™

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The alleged arrangements would be some of the closest known links between a Biden relative and a foreign government.

Without serious public money, the green transition won’t happen: EU Greens chief Lamberts

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Talking Europe sits down with one of the European Parliamentโ€™s most prominent veterans, Co-chair of the Greens Philippe Lamberts. The Belgian MEP has served in three legislatures since 2009 and says he has seen a big difference in both awareness and a…

European Parliament in review โ€” MEP unAwards 2024

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Presented by Meta.

MEPs to watch in the next EU Parliament (if they get elected)

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POLITICOโ€™s guide to key European lawmakers to pay attention to in the run-up to EU election June 6-9.

Parliament quietly rejects calls to probe Markus Ferber

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Decision follows POLITICO investigation into German MEP.

Brand ambassador

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Eva Kaili and Roberta Metsola

EU Parliament once again raises ethics reform as Russiaโ€™s cash-for-influence scandal unfolds

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With two months until Juneโ€™s EU election, the Parliament has gone into alert mode as pressure piles up to respond to a new cash-for-influence scandal rocking the institution, with new reforms back on the table.ย 

European Parliament demands action over Russian interference allegations, worry about election fallout

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Political groups in the European Parliament on Friday (29 March) said they will demand swift action over Russian interference allegations and are planning to hold a debate on the issue, fearing the scandalโ€™s effect on the upcoming Juneโ€™s EU elections.ย …

Russian influence scandal rocks EU

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Pro-Kremlin website spread propaganda and “paid” European politicians, top European officials said.

The Markus Ferber affair: When lawmaking meets business

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The relationship between a powerful German MEP and a Dutch businessman blurred the lines between public service and private gain.

EU Parliament rejects Kailiโ€™s immunity defence in Qatargate probe

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The European Parliament legal affairs committee (JURI) unanimously decided that Eva Kaili’s immunity defence is inadmissible in the context of the Qatargate investigation, because everything was done ‘by the book’,ย a note from the parliamentary committ…

Brusselsโ€™ spy problem is the tip of the iceberg, says Belgian justice minister

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Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt says Qatargate isn’t the only threat that his country’s security services face.

Europeโ€™s struggling socialists play defense

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Unknown lead candidate Nicolas Schmit tells POLITICO his side will win, despite far-right surge.

Brussels police open probe after top Qatargate cop complains he was poisoned in โ€˜murderโ€™ bid

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“We can inform you that a complaint has been filed for attempted murder,” prosecutor’s office says.

Brussels power couples 2024

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To celebrate Valentine’s Day, here are some of the most influential couples in Brussels.

Belgian police question MEP Maria Arena in โ€˜Qatargateโ€™ probe

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Belgian socialist MEP Marie Arena, whose Brussels home was searched last July as part of the European parliament “Qatargate” bribery scandal, was questioned by investigators Friday (9 February), according to her lawyer.

Qatargate corruption inquiry widens as police question new suspect MEP Maria Arena

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It is the first time Arena has been interviewed over the scandal.

EU and Spain head to Mauritania to sign migration deal

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Spanish officials report a surge in irregular arrivals from West Africa.

Eva Kaili faces jail if she speaks to journalists about Qatargate

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Greek MEP’s lawyers send EU lawmakers a legal order from the investigative judge in charge of the case.

Parliament probing lobbyists who fought sustainable packaging rules

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Business groups could face penalties for overzealous lobbying on the EUโ€™s new rules to ditch throwaway packaging for reusable options.

The corruption trap: How Europeโ€™s establishment made the far right great again

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Sleaze and politics have always coexisted, but the topic has new-found relevance as scandals rock once-dominant centrist parties.

Make Mario Draghi European Council chief, Renzi says

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Renzi brought Draghi to power in Italy in 2021. Now he wants to do the same for Europe.

Former Qatargate judge Michel Claise may run in Belgian elections: La Libre

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Claise, who recused himself in mid-2023 from the European Parliament corruption probe, may join the federal list of the Dรฉfi party.

Qatargateโ€™s โ€˜useful idiotsโ€™ still work inside EU Parliamentย 

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Six MEPs and an official were part of a cash-for-influence network, whether they knew it or not, according to investigative files seen by POLITICO.

Commission VP: Implementation of foreign interference law down to EU countries

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The nature of the implementation of the European Commission’s controversial directive to limit foreign interference will be up to leaders of member states, Commission Vice-President Dubravka ล uica explained in an interview with Euractiv.

Qatargate victim speaks out over claims he was blocked from top human rights prizeย 

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Anti-slavery activist says heโ€™s โ€œshockedโ€ by POLITICOโ€™s revelations of allegedly corrupt influence over the EU’s Sakharov Prize.

#BelgianGate: Investigation at risk as Qatargate suspects turn the tables on prosecution

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Eva Kaili and Francesco Giorgi have launched a media and legal offensive.

EU failed to tackle corruption in Parliament, MEPs say

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Lawmakers debate European Parliament corruption scandal following POLITICO investigation into leaked documents.

EU Commission wants registry for foreign lobbyists

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The idea was to expose Vladimir Putin; critics say it emboldens Viktor Orbรกn.

Top human rights prize targeted by Qatargate corruption suspects

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Suspects allegedly interfered with EU Sakharov Prize nominations to help foreign governments, leaked police files suggest.

How Eva met Francesco: The golden couple at the heart of Europeโ€™s Qatargate scandal

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The love story behind the biggest scandal to ever hit the European Parliament โ€” and the cozy, transactional world in which it took place.

Eva Kaili tried to invite EU Parliament chief Roberta Metsola to Qatar World Cup

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Qatargate corruption suspect Kaili suggested President Metsola’s husband and boys might like an invitation to the World Cup. Metsola never replied.

The mystery of the untouched lawmaker at the heart of Qatargate

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Belgian police place Maria Arena at the heart of the corruption ring in the European Parliament โ€” but have not questioned her.

Oil tankers, golf buddies and explosives: Qatargate suspectโ€™s side hustle

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Even as he allegedly worked for Qatar and Morocco, Francesco Giorgi was looking for other options.

One year of โ€˜Qatargateโ€™: Investigation going nowhere?

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A year after a bribery scandal dubbed “Qatargate” engulfed the European Parliament, Belgium’s investigation into the alleged wrongdoing of certain lawmakers and aides still seems far from resolution.

How Europeโ€™s crypto queen was brought down by cash

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The Qatargate story overflows with bundles of banknotes stashed in odd places, with around โ‚ฌ70,000 even ending up in the trash, according to one suspect.

Denial, grief, acceptance: Inside the Qatargate police interrogationsย 

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In the dramatic first few hours after they were arrested, the EU corruption suspects tried to explain themselves to police. Hereโ€™s what they said.

The Qatargate Files: Hundreds of leaked documents reveal scale of EU corruption scandalย 

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Evidence from the European Parliament’s graft investigation provides a record of more than 300 alleged attempts to manipulate EU democracy.

Europeโ€™s far right flexes anti-Brussels muscles as it opens EU campaign

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Anti-EU hardliners gathered in Florence to kick off their 2024 election drive.

Belgiumโ€™s on-again, off-again hunt for the men accused of corrupting the European Parliament

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Qatarโ€™s labor minister and a Moroccan diplomat were discreetly sought by Belgium as part of the Qatargate investigation. Until they werenโ€™t.

MEPs denounce packaging waste regulation lobbying as violating โ€˜Qatargateโ€™ rules

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Packaging waste interest groups are aggressively lobbying at the European Parliament premises, in breach of the recently-approved โ€˜Qatargateโ€™ internal rules, an official source from the European Parliament told Euractiv. On Wednesday (22 November), MEP…

Viktor Orbรกn brings culture war to Brussels

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Hungary backs media outlets that wage war on woke and bring a Euroskeptic take to the EU capital.

Spanish turmoil hits EU stage as PMโ€™s camp trades blows with conservatives

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Socialists and conservatives are trading blows over a controversial proposal to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists.

Antรณnio Costaโ€™s downfall spells trouble for socialist hopes of EU top job

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Portuguese PM was frontrunner for one of future EU top jobs. Now the center left needs a new name to push.

France demands EU corruption-busting watchdog with teeth

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The proposed anti-corruption body would have powers to check officialsโ€™ income.

MEP Maria Arena and her son: A joint passion for cannabis

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Belgian lawmaker co-founded medicinal marijuana group without declaring sonโ€™s CBD business.

Qatargate: Corruption probe unravels as defense kicks case to May

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Eva Kaili wins call for internal probe in stunning reversal for Belgian prosecutors.

Eva Kailiโ€™s plot to blow up the Qatargate investigation

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Lawyers for the Greek MEP argue her parliamentary immunity was violated last year.

Mission: Impossible โ€” Transparency? EU closes a chapter on Qatargate

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MEPs passed a key set of reforms as the Commission president sidestepped questions of transparency and corruption.

New transparency rules โ€˜serious first stepโ€™ after Qatargate, say EU lawmakers

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MEPs backed an overhaul of the European Parliamentโ€™s transparency rules on Wednesday (13 September), praising it as a ‘serious first step’ as the Parliament continues its response to the Qatargate corruption scandal.

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