The Brief — The ‘dream team’ of Greek MEPs

Since the 2019 EU elections, political debate in Athens has, for the first time, been more focused on Brussels than domestic politics. One might think that Greek public opinion has taken on a fresh passion for EU affairs, but unfortunately, this is not the case.

Unfortunately, Greek citizens’ interest in Brussels has been captured for all the wrong reasons: out of the 21 EU lawmakers, six have been embroiled in controversies unrelated to their missions in the Belgian capital.

First was Giannis Lagos, a former leading figure of the Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. He is now in jail, accused of participating in a criminal organisation.

Then, we had the case of Eva Kaili (former S&D), allegedly involved in Qatargate, the corruption scandal that made waves in the European Parliament in December 2022. She was held in prison for four months until being released with an electronic tag recently and ahead of her trial.

Kaili is also facing accusations of alleged fraud with EU funds and her assistants’ salaries while the European Parliament is currently examining an EU prosecutor’s request to lift her immunity. On Tuesday, Kaili said that allegations she got “cuts” from her assistants’ salaries was fake news.

The EU prosecutor has also asked to lift the immunity of another MEP, Maria Spyraki (EPP), who is accused of having misled the European Parliament about the activities of her aides, including alleged fake business trips.

Spyraki has already paid the imposed fine, and she is not accused of taking “cuts” from her assistants’ salaries, as is the case with Kaili.

During this EU Parliament mandate, another certain Greek MEP (EPP) was also accused of getting “cuts” from an assistant’s salary. There is an ongoing court case in Athens, but no details have been made public.

The “cuts” in parliamentary assistants’ salaries are not new in Brussels. In the past, EU lawmakers from other countries have also been implicated in such nefarious activities, but this is no excuse.

In another case, MEP Alexis Georgoulis (Left, before his expulsion) was recently accused by a European Commission official of sexual harassment and violence, something he denies.

The European Parliament is expected to lift his immunity soon, and the accusations are heavy and need answers.

The EU House was also asked to lift the immunity of Giorgos Kyrtsos (previously EPP, now Renew Europe) for the alleged offence of non-payment of debts to the Greek state despite Kyrtsos insisting his debt was settled.

There is always the benefit of the doubt, and they may all prove innocent. However, the toxicity of the political debate because of these incidents must be addressed with policy solutions.

Furthermore, when it comes to its EU election candidate lists, Greece must take a long, hard look at itself.

It is time to do away with the logic of sending to Brussels those who could be a political problem in domestic politics or the non-politicians who, thanks to their fame, could attract unexpected votes.

For once, there must be a discussion in Athens over this matter, with a cross-party committee examining candidates’ CVs, capabilities and credentials in accordance with EU values.

Only the “best” CVs should represent Greece, along with every EU country. This is the way to a quality EU parliament – and a reason to vote.

By not doing this, we risk ending up in moral decadence: an EU Parliament that scraps resolutions on the Rule of Law because of government pressure or sweeps national scandals under the carpet to avoid confrontation with national parties and delegations.

However, not everyone should be put in the same box. There are MEPs – Greek and others – who get their job done with dignity, fight for Europe and declare the lobbyists they are meeting. The media have a role to play in highlighting their job too.

Preserving EU values must be the number one priority. Only once we do can we start exporting it outside of the bloc.

The Roundup

The Lithuanian parliament Seimas adopted a law on Tuesday (25 April) legalising the turning away of irregular migrants at the border under a state-level extreme situation regime or a state of emergency.

Five EU ‘frontline’ countries have joined forces to push the Commission for more support following their unilateral decisions to ban all Ukrainian agriculture imports, as the war-torn country warned exports are the only way for their farmers to survive.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday (25 April) he will seek a second White House term in 2024, a decision that will test whether Americans are ready to give the 80-year-old Democrat, already the oldest US president ever, another four years in office.

The EU’s 27 member countries gave final approval Tuesday (25 April) to a sweeping reform of the bloc’s carbon market to accelerate the reduction in greenhouse gases, including a new carbon border tax on imports.

The legal affairs committee of the European Parliament voted in favour of a common position on EU rules to hold companies accountable for human rights and environmental breaches on Tuesday (25 April), paving the way for a final plenary vote on 1 June.

Seven companies in Germany’s energy sector said on Tuesday (25 April) that they had formed an alliance to bring clean hydrogen from the seashore to centres of industrial consumption.

France’s anti-waste law, enacted in 2020, aims to phase out single-use plastic packaging by 2040, eliminate waste and encourage reuse. Three years later, EURACTIV takes a first look at whether the legislation was a success or not.

Belarus is known for being home to schemes to help sanctioned individuals and entities evade the EU’s Russia sanctions, but the publication of a new investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Centre (BIC) pointing the finger at the country’s Catholic Church raises more eyebrows than usual.

Overcoming the treatment access gap for multiple myeloma, which significantly varies across Spain’s autonomous regions, while also promoting research for new drugs, are priorities, according to Teresa Regueiro, president of the Spanish Community of Patients with Multiple Myeloma (CEMMP).

Power network operators are calling for greater transparency regarding electric cars and heat pumps connected to the grid to reinforce the EU’s network where necessary and tap into the potential of energy savings from households.

After lengthy delays, the UK has on Tuesday (25 April) finally introduced the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, which will empower the country’s regulator to oversee the position of major tech firms.

Green and centre-right EU lawmakers raised concerns – for opposing reasons – on whether the animal welfare rules revision will be presented before this legislative mandate ends, while the EU executive stressed it is still planned for this year.

The European Commission identified on Tuesday (25 April) 19 online platforms and search engines that must comply with its more rigorous rules for digital services.

As climate change leads to higher average temperatures and more erratic rainfall, Europe is predicted to experience an increase in the scale and duration of its wildfires.

Don’t forget to check out our Transport Brief for a roundup of weekly news on mobility across Europe.

Look out for…

• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in meeting of the College of Commissioners.
• Commission Vice President Dubravka Šuica meets with MEP and AGRI Committee Chair Norbert Lins. 
• Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira officially opens the Conference of the 4th EU Macro-regional Strategies. 
• Innovation Commissioner Mariya Gabriel participates, in Brussels, in the 8th Plenary meeting of the European Innovation Council board. 

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald/Alice Taylor]