Life was never a straight line

When the Belgian police accomplished what the European Union institutions were unable to undertake, the traditional foes or critics of the European project and Roberta Metsola were quick to reappear and cry wolf.

They reminded us all that the European parliament is in no position to pontificate. Politico went so far as describing the debauchery in the EP worse than that of the Borghese family.

This has all came about because a PASOK (Socialist) Greek MEP and EP vice-President is being accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of euros in return for promoting Qatar’s image.

It is not only a case of corruption but a serious incident of money laundering. The colourful 44-year old Greek MEP was found with stacks of euros at very much same time she was heaping praise on the Qatar in the EP.

Qatar has been currying favour for the World Cup since it was curiously chosen by FIFA to host the World Cup. A small nation which at the time was an inconsequential name in the game of international football and with a hostile climate that made any event only possible in December, it seemed like Qatar had no logistical set-up for the games.

Money walks and bullshit talks and that is what the Qataris have been able to do.

Allegations of corruption are all over the place. And to make matters more complicated many known personalities have been lending their face and name to bolster Qatar’s image in return for considerable amounts of dollars. That Qatar is super rich thanks to its gas and oil helps quite a lot.

Everyone has fallen for big money and handsome rewards. Some countries are dependent on Qatari oil and gas, and for years now Qatar has cultivated the media by also promoting itself through its news channel Al-Jazeera.

Qatar is also very efficient in keeping age old traditions in place even though they rock the fundamentals of Western society and are remembered to be consistent in dealing with migrant workers as if they were slaves.

Qatari money is everywhere. Just in the same way David Beckham was chosen to endorse Qatar for the handsome price of £10 million in the face of so many accusations of human rights abuses and a blatant disregard for LGBTQ basic rights, many have willingly accepted to be engaged to fight the bad publicity.

The Nationalist MEP and popular EP president Roberta Metsola, who has a record for speaking vociferously against corruption and for freedom, cannot be faulted for any personal misdemeanours.

But her political bloc, the EPP, which has sustained her and pushed her to the very top have blocked any proposed reforms for more transparency in a parliament which maintains hundreds of parliamentarians and functionaries with overpaid jobs and little regulatory mechanism in place for checks and balances.

Metsola too has another added problem: that considering that the European Parliament has positioned itself as the high moral arbiter in the case of so many countries, including Malta, it follows that it is grilled when a scandal hits hard in the heart of the institution. A

nd to add insult to injury, what is more remarkable is that the EP has closed the door shut for any reform that would scrutinise the actions of its’ MEPs.

One such example is when MEPs refuse to disclose all their meetings with outside lobbyists. Only last October the parliament voted to no longer require MEPs to provide receipts for the money they spent.

This when MEPs not only receive a monthly €9,400 salary but have on top of their salaries a monthly €4,700 travel allowance and a €4,800 “general expenditure” allowance. This is intended to be spent on things like office rental, internet connection and the organisation of meetings — but nobody knows whether it is!

Interestingly, as vice-president in the EP’s secretive ruling Bureau — consisting of Metsola and her vice presidents – it was Kaili who broke party ranks to vote for Alessandro Chiocchetti as secretary-general in September, controversially.

This was in the weel when the Bureau was placating political groups by creating new administrative jobs out of thin air so that the EP could win approval for the parachuting Chiocchetti.

Metsola has not been reacting well to criticism. She has hit out, insisting that there has been no wrongdoing on her part or those close to her. She has emphasised that the criticism is rooted in contempt for the European Parliament. But surely not all of the critics of this corruption scandal can be accused of bias.

This scandal is an opportune moment for Metsola to prove her mettle and show that reforms can also take place to regulate MEPs and their functionaries alike. There must also be some calibration into the way MEPs spend their money and what they earn. There must be more accountability and a reality check.

Surely what is required from a badly paid Maltese MP offering his or her part-time services to the Maltese parliament could easily apply to a European MEP, who apart from receiving so many perks is allowed to also stand on boards or in private companies and refuse to disclose costs. Surely we can export some lessons in morality when it suits us fine.

The European Parliament needs to remain the soul of Europe but it has to raise its standards and work hard to win the hearts and souls of its citizens. Failing which, many will just stay at home and boycott the electoral process.