Geert Bourgeois: “European ethics body violates the separation of powers”

MEP Geert Bourgeois warns against the establishment of a so-called “Ethics Body” within the European Parliament. “We are rightly outraged by Qatargate, but we must not simply jettison our fundamental achievements because of it. An inter-institutional body composed of externals, moreover partly designated by the European Commission, violates the separation of powers,” Bourgeois says.

According to Geert Bourgeois, who is also a member of the Advisory Committee on the Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament, internal rules still need to be tightened and transparency improved. “But setting up a new supervisory body whereby the executive arm (the European Commission) can also control Parliament - directly or indirectly - is unacceptable.

Parliament must control the executive arm, not the other way around

Geert Bourgeois: “The Commission and Parliament must adhere to the same ethical principles, of course, but different rules apply to members of parliament than to members of the executive. Parliament is supposed to control the executive and not the other way around.”

Guarding freedom of speech

Moreover, we must guard the freedom of speech of MEPs. Geert Bourgeois: “MEPs are subject to internal disciplinary sanctions, of course, but parliamentary irresponsibility does not tolerate any external scrutiny whatsoever. An MEP must be able to speak freely in performing his or her duties. That is not a personal privilege but a guarantee of the independence of Parliament and its members. Before we realise it, we will be dealing with a form of censorship.”