The Socialists and Democrats condemn the ‘Venezuela majority’ – the EPP, ECR, PfE and ESN – for voting today in the committee on constitutional affairs (AFCO) to stop the EU Ethics Body.
The tireless efforts of the European Parliament in championing integrity, transparency and accountability were instrumental in establishing the Ethics Body Agreement last term. Yet, conservative AFCO members voted down a proposal to update Parliament’s rules of procedure to include the Ethics Body.
Juan Fernando López Aguilar, S&D shadow on the Ethics Body in the AFCO committee, said:
“Conservatives are quick to call for transparency for NGOs, but they hate the idea when it might be applied to them. As Socialists and Democrats, we want this new Ethics Body to be there to set a single framework for cooperation on ethical standards across the EU institutions. On transparency, it is time to uphold our commitment with the Agreement without further delay.
“We will not back down from our ambition and strong commitment to the highest ethical standards, which are essential to enhancing the credibility and legitimacy for our institutions and the public's trust in our work. There are several years left in this mandate, and we will continue to campaign for it. We will not be dissuaded by the right-wing majority’s cowardly attempts to undermine the Ethics Body. They are too afraid to openly ask for a formal withdrawal, instead trying to quietly obstruct the implementation of the Agreement by dragging the Parliament into a state of limbo, hiding their true intentions from European voters.”
Ahead of the vote, S&D AFCO Coordinator Juan Fernando López Aguilar sent a letter – also signed by the coordinators of the Renew, Greens and Left groups – urging European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to uphold the Parliament’s commitment to the Ethics Body. In May 2024, President Metsola, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and representatives from other EU institutions and advisory bodies signed the inter-institutional agreement establishing the Ethics Body.
At the end of March, the S&Ds urged the European Parliament to send a clear message after the Huawei scandal and move forward with the Ethics Body.
The Socialists and Democrats are determined to root out corruption in the European Institutions. The S&D Group has set out proposals for reform – contained in a 15-point plan – to make the European Parliament corruption-proof.
