The antennae of the Brussels investigators who are leading the probe into alleged corruption in the European Parliament hatched by Morocco and Qatar to bend continental politics in their favor over the thorny dossiers in which they were directly interested have had some travel approached by European parliamentarians and officials in Rabat and Qatar. More generally, there is a suspicion that MEPs all too often change their minds or soften their positions in favor of those countries after returning from paid trips from host countries, often luxury hotels, helicopter flights and leisure visits outside of work.
The Belgian newspaper Le Soir has carried out a journalistic investigation into the phenomenon of “expensive” trips by MEPs, which reveals that the most visited countries are Russia (before the war), Israel and India. The regulation of the European Parliament requires its members to report the trips they undertake at the invitation of a third party, be it public or private, who bears the costs. However, it is common for MPs to forget these statements, and many only remembered them after the Qatargate case broke out.
Le Soir decided to investigate further, noting that as of January 31 last year, out of the 705 MPs in the legislature that began in 2019, only 140, about 20% of the total, were mostly from the Conservative sectors, reports have submitted 328 trips as fair (although the halt to the pandemic must be taken into account), suggesting that not all have complied with the obligation. To be honest, the panorama that emerges is rather sparse. Most declared only one trip, but as with the famous Trilussa chicken, there are those who, like a German Green MP, have made 22 trips to 13 different countries. It is also true that the MP in question is a member of the Foreign Affairs Commission and the two responsible for relations with the US and China.