{"id":9119,"date":"2024-12-06T05:02:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T05:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/why-does-the-eus-fraud-watchdog-still-lack-access-to-the-european-parliament\/"},"modified":"2024-12-06T05:02:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T05:02:55","slug":"why-does-the-eus-fraud-watchdog-still-lack-access-to-the-european-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=9119","title":{"rendered":"Why does the EU\u2019s fraud watchdog still lack access to the European parliament?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article is an on-site version of our Europe Express newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here<\/a> to get the newsletter delivered every weekday and Saturday morning. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newsletters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Good morning. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was sacked last night as the far right teamed up with the leftwing bloc in the National Assembly, plunging the EU\u2019s second-largest economy into an even deeper political mire. Amid that, top EU officials are set to travel to South America to finalise the Mercosur trade deal that France has long opposed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, the head of the EU\u2019s anti-fraud agency tells Laura and our colleague that he still doesn\u2019t have the access he needs to probe the European parliament, and our Berlin correspondent reports on a disturbing clash between a German military helicopter and a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea.<\/p>\n

Under the rug<\/h3>\n

Two years on from the Qatargate corruption scandal in the European parliament, the EU\u2019s anti-fraud agency is still struggling to get access to the institution to carry out investigations, write <\/strong><\/em>Alice Hancock<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and <\/strong><\/em>Laura Dubois<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Context: Qatargate resulted in several MEPs being accused of taking cash from Qatari and Moroccan officials in exchange for political favours in the parliament. Due to limitations of its jurisdiction, the bloc\u2019s anti-fraud watchdog Olaf hasn\u2019t been able to access MEP\u2019s offices and laptops since well before the scandal. The investigation was led by the Belgian authorities.<\/p>\n

At the end of last month, the parliament signed an agreement with the European Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office to improve co-operation in investigations. <\/p>\n

But Olaf is still waiting on such a deal. The agency\u2019s supervisory committee last month stated<\/a> that there was no legal reason for Olaf to be denied better access to investigate MEPs.<\/p>\n

\u201cParliament appeared to consider that the entity best placed to investigate such allegations is not Olaf but parliament itself, and that accordingly, Olaf should refrain from any parallel investigations,\u201d the committee wrote in a report.<\/p>\n

Olaf\u2019s investigative abilities should stretch to \u201call members of the commission, parliament, the court of justice, the court of auditors, the European Central Bank, the European Ombudsman and the European Investment Bank\u201d, it added, if there was \u201ca serious dereliction\u201d of an official\u2019s duties \u201cliable to result in disciplinary or criminal proceedings\u201d. <\/p>\n

Ville It\u00e4l\u00e4, Olaf\u2019s director-general and a former MEP himself, said that the stand-off made Olaf\u2019s work \u201cmuch more cumbersome\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mandate covers all the institutions. The European parliament, however, considers that we don\u2019t have the competence to call at offices of MEPs and search their laptops and phones,\u201d It\u00e4l\u00e4 told the FT.<\/p>\n

That was in spite of an agreement from 1999, he added, which stated that \u201cthe European parliament\u2019s security office shall assist [Olaf] in the practical conduct of investigations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Olaf\u2019s work usually involves investigating any allegations of corruption or unethical behaviour and then handing cases on to EPPO if evidence of abuse is found.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the parliament said that when it came to investigations of MEPs it \u201cfully co-operates with Olaf in full conformity with the applicable legal framework\u201d.<\/p>\n

Chart du jour: Stiff competition<\/h2>\n
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Some content could not load. Check your internet connection or browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/picture><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Danish energy company \u00d8rsted was hailed as a pioneer when it swapped out its fossil fuel business to become a leader in offshore wind, but supply chain disruptions and competition from China threaten to blow it off course.<\/p>\n

Close shave<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s more tension in the Baltic Sea, this time over an incident between a Russian tanker and a German military helicopter, which some in Berlin see as yet another example of Moscow\u2019s hybrid warfare, writes <\/strong><\/em>Laura Pitel<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Context: Nato capitals are on high alert after months of Russian-linked hybrid attacks such as arson or unattributed explosions, which officials say are designed to test western resolve without triggering a military response.<\/p>\n

The tanker, which was accompanied by a Russian warship, was approached by a Bundeswehr chopper on a reconnaissance mission, according to a person briefed on the events.<\/p>\n

Rather than using their radios to warn the German aircraft to keep its distance, the crew of either the tanker or the warship fired one or several flares \u2014 the kind usually used to signal maritime distress.<\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock briefly alluded to the incident, which took place at the end of November, earlier this week.<\/p>\n

She said the incident was among several examples of how Russian President Vladimir Putin was \u201cexpanding his hybrid attacks on peace in Europe\u201d, also naming GPS jamming and the recent severance of undersea communications cables.<\/p>\n

She said that Nato would step up its monitoring in the Baltic Sea in response.<\/p>\n

The person briefed on the helicopter incident, which was first reported by German news agency DPA, played down its severity, arguing that there \u201cwas not an immediate danger to anyone\u201d. <\/p>\n

But they added: \u201cIt\u2019s not the way those encounters should happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

What to watch today <\/h2>\n
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  1. \n

    Malta hosts OSCE ministerial meeting, including Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US secretary of state Antony Blinken. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden speaks at the FT Global Boardroom<\/a> event, at 11.00am.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    European parliament president Roberta Metsola visits Poland, meets Prime Minister Donald Tusk.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now read these<\/h2>\n
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    Recommended newsletters for you <\/h3>\n
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    Free Lunch<\/strong> \u2014 Your guide to the global economic policy debate. Sign up here<\/a><\/p>\n

    The State of Britain<\/strong> \u2014 Peter Foster\u2019s guide to the UK\u2019s economy, trade and investment in a changing world. Sign up here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    This article has been corrected to reflect that Olaf was not involved in the Qatargate investigation.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n