JEF Malta would like to express its disappointment regarding the newly emerging bribery scandal allegedly involving Qatar and one of the European Parliament’s Vice Presidents.
As JEF, we strive to empower youths to believe in the potential of a united and democratic European Union. However, corruption scandals like these erode trust in Europe and fundamentally work against European values. The scandal was uncovered just as a vote on visa-free stays in the Schengen Zone for Qatar was approaching. This raises questions regarding whether certain policies have been swayed as a result of bribery, which is of course detrimental to the role of the European Parliament as a representative body of all EU citizens.
We firmly believe that corruption and impunity are a threat to democracy and have no place in European institutions. It is for this reason we are glad to see that swift action has been taken, with Ms Kaili being stripped of her role as Vice President, suspended from the Socialists & Democrats Group, and expelled from the Greek PASOK party. We believe that this is the correct response to such allegations of corruption.
We sincerely hope that in light of such shocking revelations, the European Parliament will continue taking a firm stance against corruption and action will be taken to ensure the safeguarding of democratic processes.