In the wake of “Huawei-gate,” the European Parliament debate this Wednesday on the EU ethics body – an independent watchdog originally designed to uphold ethical standards in EU institutions – seems more relevant than ever.
FTM has seen a letter signed by at least 20 MEPs from the Greens, Renew, the Left and S&D calling on President Roberta Metsola to safeguard democracy and address the allegations with both urgency and transparency.
Meanwhile, conservative lawmakers have been outspoken in their opposition to the ethics body. The Christian Democrats (EPP) argue that it threatens the independence of the EU and have blocked the €110,000 allocated to the body.
It seems that while the EPP is always quick to blame NGOs for anything that goes wrong in Brussels, von der Leyen’s party still has a long way to go in learning its own lessons.