Zero tolerance for corruption – the replacement should be the start of a true transparency offensive
Vienna (OTS/SK) – Members of the EU Parliament today elected a new vice-president in Strasbourg. Luxembourgish Social Democrat Marc Angel won the mandate with strong support. He will thus become one of the 14 vice presidents of the Chamber. SPÖ-EU Head of Delegation Andreas Schieder and Vice-President of the European Parliament Evelyn Regner congratulate: “Marc Angel is an extraordinary politician and an ardent social democrat with close ties to Austria. He is the candidate ideal to join the team of Vice Presidents of the S&D Group. We are convinced that you will carry out this role in the interest of European citizens. It is important right now to fill this role with a trustworthy and principled person who will shape progressive policy with us and work with us to promote more transparency.”****
However, the two politicians point out that the work is not done with a new appointment. Regner says: “The EU Parliament has been a pioneer in terms of transparency for many years. At the same time, the events of recent weeks have taught us that we still have more to do to finally declare war on corruption in this House. As a Socialist Group, we have drawn up a catalog of demands that should help us in the future. For example, it is very important to me that whistleblowers receive better protections, as well as a ban on third-party funded travel. But there are many other measures that we not only have to introduce, but also facilitate their implementation. We know: transparency measures must be constantly checked and adjusted.”
Schieder adds: “In Austria, it is quite common for politicians to release a declaration of assets before taking office and at the end of their term. If a politician has had a rapid rise in wealth or owns stock in a company, you should definitely check it out. This is a simple but effective step towards greater transparency, which must also be taken at European level – because transparency is the most effective means against corruption! At the same time, however, we must not neglect internal corruption investigations and must not limit our efforts to uncover the influence exerted by Qatar.” (Conclusion) bj
Questions and contact:
Lena’s rating
Spokesperson for the SPÖ delegation at the European Parliament
+32 472397210
[email protected]