EP adopts agreement on new EU body on Ethical Standards

Under the agreement adopted with 301 votes in favour, 216 against and 23 abstentions, the body would develop common minimum standards for ethical conduct in EU institutions, the EP said. The body will be comprised of independent experts and will conduct reviews and make recommendations, the statement said.

The European Commission proposed setting up the body after EP Vice-President Eva Kaili and three others had been arrested on corruption charges in December 2022.

In a statement, the MEPs of ruling Fidesz said that 1.5 years after the “unprecedented” corruption scandal, “Brussels should not be working on pseudo solutions” but completely eliminate corruption.

They said the definition of “ethical standards” was unclear in the agreement.

“The gravest corruption scandal of the European integration broke out 1.5 years ago and has so far remained without consequences. Those involved committed crimes, not breached ethical standards,” the statement said.

Corruption in the EU were criminal rather than ethical issues, and so the body should not be reviewing the observation of ethical norms, the MEPs said.

Systematic corruption in the EP is yet to be tackled in earnest, the statement said. “Vaguely defined ethical standards” will not help uncovering the crimes, merely provide a new tool for political blackmail for leftists, the statement said.