Does this corruption scandal signal the end of the European Union?

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Opponents of the European project hope that the entire edifice will collapse under the weight of his hubris. Europeans hope that the EU will take action together and finally put in place effective pressure rules. Of course, Brexiteers are shaking their heads with relief at the crisis that has crippled an organization they always thought was utterly corrupt.

For some, the probe’s sheer size came as a shock. For others, it is the stark nature of the alleged bribes that is breathtaking. However, the truth is that few people with experience in Brussels politics are surprised at the idea of ​​corruption.

“There is nothing new here and nothing will change,” says Nigel Farage, who spent years trying to expose wrongdoing by colleagues in the European Parliament before achieving his goal of taking Britain out of the European Union.

The question of how this happened is easy to answer: the failure of a broadcaster by the European Parliament to impose checks and balances against lobbyists trying to bribe MEPs. As for why this happened, there is widespread acceptance that the European Parliament has developed a reputation as a place where monetary bribes can be given and accepted. It is difficult to predict the long-term impact of the scandal on the European Union and its structures.

Germany’s foreign minister, Annalina Berbock, said the crisis had put the EU’s “credibility” and legitimacy to the test, and called for meaningful reform. There is little sign so far that the scandal is increasing the appetite of other member states to follow Britain and break loose, but the investigation by the Belgian police anti-corruption unit is far from over and it is impossible to know where it might end. .

The phrase “the tip of the iceberg” appears again and again in conversations with those with deep knowledge of Brussels, inquiries of corruption, or both. Michel van Hulten, Transparency International’s European Union director, blames a “culture of impunity”, with which he was familiar from his days as an MEP in the 1990s.

“I’m sure we’ll see more names linked to this scandal,” he says. I also believe that it will lead to the discovery of other cases of undue influence and corruption. Because this is not limited to Qatar. There are other cases in which undue influence or bribery is suspected.”

The Van Hulten Organization received an anonymous email tip-off last year alleging that MEPs were taking bribes. Some of the names in the email – which has been passed on to the police – have now been linked to the investigation in Qatar, but Van Hulten says: “There were seven names on the list, including ones that have not yet been made public. That’s why I say I don’t think These are isolated incidents.”

Vincent van Quickenborn, Belgium’s justice minister, called the investigation a “game-changer”, but the question for Brussels and its shadowy institutions is whether they can truly take down the Augean stables, or will be content with mass boos and look the other way.

Brussels has long been reputed to be one of the world’s greatest gravy trains, with MEPs paying a flat rate of £293 for each day spent in Brussels or Strasbourg, covering meals and accommodation, in addition to their £100,000 stipend and £100,000. 4,157 per year for travel and residence outside their home country.

Like almost any parliament, it has had its fair share of corruption, ranging from misuse of expenditures and nepotism to the “money for amendments” scandal a decade ago, but the scale and nature of Qatargate is unprecedented.

It might never have been exposed had it not been discovered by chance by spies working for the Belgian secret service. Suspecting foreign interference in EU institutions, they launched an investigation more than a year ago that led them to the home of 67-year-old Pier Antonio Panzieri, a former member of the European Parliament. The agents broke into his home in July, discovering €600,000 (£523,000) in his home, but as they were not allowed to investigate the MEPs, they left it at his place, blotted out all traces of the break-in and alerted the Belgian police. Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption.

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