Prid since the beginning of December in the turmoil of Qatargate, the European Parliament will be a civil party. “The process is underway, the European Parliament intends and has taken the relevant internal steps to this end”, confirms the press service of the Brussels institution.
However, no deadline has been specified for this complaint, nor the name of the lawyer who will represent Parliament.
At the same time as this legal procedure, Parliament suspended the immunities of MPs Marc Tarabella and Andrea Cozzolino so that they could be heard by the courts. The first was placed under arrest warrant on February 11 and the indictment chamber should rule this Friday on his possible continued detention, the second is under house arrest in Italy pending a possible transfer to Belgium. As of December, the immunity of the former co-president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili had been lifted.
At the beginning of February, the presidents of the various political groups in Parliament adopted an initial series of measures in order, they hope, to instill more rigor and transparency in the corridors of the institution: an obligation, for all interest representatives to register in the transparency register if they take part in parliamentary work; prohibition of friendship groups with third countries; abolition of access badges for former parliamentarians… In addition, all MEPs but also their assistants as well as staff members involved in legislative work will have to declare their meetings with interest representatives, including diplomatic representatives of third country.
Source : Lesoir.be