47 posts
‘Snusgate’ Spotlights EU Lobbying
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Real Time Brussels has been doing some old-school document chasing on the EU’s biggest corruption scandal in years.
Who owns what? Trying to clean dirty money in the EU
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How do you fancy owning two Bugatti Veyrons, the fastest and priciest street car in the world, with a top speed of 250mph and a cost of €1m a pop? Or how about splashing out €18m on art formally owned by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent...
New dawn for an anti-corruption policy in the EU…
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Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for home affairs, has launched a package introducing the future anti-corruption policy of the Union last week. Find her commentary here: This is the result of a 16 year-long process. For an overview of t...
Combating corruption in the EU through e-Procurement
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Recently Transparency International submitted a response to the European Commission consultations on expanding the use of e-Procurement, which you can download here. The Commission consultation document ('Green Paper') contained no mention of co...
A European Union anti-corruption reporting tool: Only few member states still opposing!
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Not long ago, the European Commission has finalised a public consultation on the necessity of an anti-corruption reporting tool for all 27 EU member states for which it has received 70 responses from civil society, member states, public bodies and i...
Sanaderisation in Montenegro
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Three days after the PM steps down, a wave of arrests of senior politicians in Montenegro...
A Week in Sarkozistan
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An update on the events of the last few days in Sarkozistan, from the special...
Reporting on France as a "Stan"
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DES NOUVELLES DE FRANCE, ETAT VOYOUNews from France, rogue State Paris, 14 septembre. Une féroce...
Wake up, EU, Stockholm is calling!
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“The European Council invites the Commission to develop indicators, on the basis of existing systems and common criteria, to measure efforts in the fight against corruption, (…) and to develop a comprehensive anti-corruption policy” (EU Stockho...
Germans more corrupt than French, but not corrupt enough!
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In an unexpected turn, the FT has a headline on its website which basically praises...
EU citizens suspect corruption in EU institutions, Wenig escapes sanctions
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Remarkably under-reported: an opinion poll published by Eurobarometer last week revealed that a growing share of European citizens considers corruption to be a serious problem. No less than 83% of the respondents believe that “there is corruption i...
Bulgaria, Romania and Greece Most Corrupt in the EU
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Bulgaria, Romania and Greece were at the bottom of the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 for the European Union. Denmark leads the index, followed by Sweden and Finland. Estonia and Slovenia are the least corrupt from the E...
New report ties business corruption risks to global financial crisis
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Since February 1999, when the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s anti-bribery convention came into force - with the aim of reducing bribery of foreign officials in international business deals - the US has brought 103...
Down the plug hole
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Last week the European Commission published its annual "Fight Against Fraud" report 2008 (and annexes - see here and here).It tells us about the "financial irregularities" in the €130bn yearly budget - in other words, the amount of taxpayers' money...
UKIP MEPs-Shamed and Paid!
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Two shamed UKIP MEPs, now sitting as independents, are to gain financially for stepping down this month:• Ashley Mote, the former UKIP MEP who was jailed for benefit fraud, has a pension worth £174,968 and will receive a transitional payment of £...
UK rocked by MPs' expenses scandal
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The Daily Telegraph gained obtained records of MPs' expenses, and have been revealing new details of these records in their newspaper everyday for the past week. Extravagant, exaggerated and incorrect claims made by many MPs from all parties have bee...
Expenses scandal - how differently European countries view politics [Etan Smallman]
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It’s been the biggest story in the UK for a week now, but what are they making of it in Europe? That was the question posed by the Today programme this morning. As John Humphreys said, “British politicians have been fond of saying ‘...
Expenses. MEPs, surely it’s your turn next…. [Etan Smallman]
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The parliamentary expenses scandal in Britain has shaken our parliament to its foundations. The question that’s been nagging me is what would happen if MEPs’ Brussels expenses claims saw the light of day? Would it tear the EU parliament a...
MP expenses, political corruption and the European elections
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Alternate post title: Westminster MPs: Not as corrupt as UKIP MEPs...
Another day another fraud.
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Berlyamonster has done some fine digging,Instead of being sacked, Eurocrats are being compensated for fraud, all because the investigating office is useless.14 EU fonctionnaires investigated for suspected injury benefit fraud have been awarded an ext...
Libertas declares war
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Libertas today declared war on corruption in the European Parliament with a threat to name and shame all MEPs who vote to approve the latest accounts in tomorrow's vote.The latest auditors' report continues the now annual tradition of telling us what...
WILL THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME?
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Disgraced Tory MEP Den Dover has so far not paid back over £500,000 he unjustifiably claimed from the Europen Parliament. Despite communications asking him to repay the ill-gotten gains, this has still not happened. Both Mr Dover and the Europe...
Ombudsman and European Investment Bank Conclude Memorandum of Understanding
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The European Ombudsman and the European Investment Bank have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding on how complaints into maladministration by the bank should be handled. What is striking is the expansive and reactionary definition of maladministra...
German eurocrat leaks trade secrets
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bThe iSunday Times/i has a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4692906.ece"revealed/a that the German high-level European Commission official iFritz Harald Wenig/i, director for trade defence, divulged secrets worth several mi...
Romanian anti-corruption prosecutor fired (updated)
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The possibility I have discussed in a previous article has become reality - Romanian anti-corruption prosecutor Daniel Morar has been removed from office.Justice Minister Predoiu has nominated Monica Serbanesco to replace Morar. She has been his advi...
Corruption in the Moldovan education system
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In an article in the Moldovan weekly Timpul ('The Time'), Oxana Greadcenco reports about corruption in the Moldovan education system (the text is also published in her blog).Buying a good mark for the final school exam is simple and persecution of co...
The Romanian face of justice
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In the aftermath of the report issued by the European Commission on the Romanian justice system and fight against corruption, many comments and interpretations have emerged in the Romanian press . This was to be expected. One of the most prominent de...
Romanian corruption prosecutor under fire
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Who was the only person receiving praise in the latest European Commission report on Romania (and Bulgaria) in connection with the high level of corruption in the country?Chief attorney and head of the anti-corruption agency (DNA), Daniel Morar.And...
Bulgaria/Romania corruption
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Bulgaria, Romania and the EUBalkan blushesJul 24th 2008 | SOFIAFrom The Economist print editionThe European Union softens its criticisms of Bulgaria and RomaniaBY THE polite standards of Brussels, it was quite tough. On July 23rd the European Commiss...
Corruption is only one part of misuse of EU funds
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As today’s headlines were dominated by news that the European Commission is to withdraw hundreds of millions of euros worth of EU funding to Bulgaria and to withhold their right to manage such funds, Ari Rusila asks how much of the misuse of E...
Corruption in Romania
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A short reminder for the European Commission that will issue the progress report for Romania next week, dealing with the progress made in judicial reform and the fight against corruption … safeguard clauses, anyone? (check here for the so calle...
A closer look at the EP
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via a href="http://julienfrisch.blogspot.com/"Julien Frisch/a, I found this highly interestinga href="http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/5112/8/" study/a about MEPs who are rather close to the industry they are supposed to regulate.
MEPs and Conflicts of interest…
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Via Julien Frisch’s Blog I discovered the report “Too Close for Comfort? MEPs, corporate links and potential conflict of interests” (pdf) which has just been published by Spinwatch with quite some interesting stories on: MEPs who...
12 MEPs with conflicts of interest
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Spinwatch.org has published a report titled "Too Close for Comfort?" showing personal and financial conflicts of interest of MEPs from the UK, Germany, France, Finland and Romania.The list includes (citation from the table of contents):Sharon Bowles:...
Romania corruption scoop
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This was largely the work of the excellent Economist stringer in Romania, Valentina PopCorruption in RomaniaIn denial Jul 3rd 2008 | BRUSSELS AND BUCHARESTFrom The Economist print editionThe European Union conceals Romania’s backsliding on corrupt...
Corruption
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This with many thanks to my excellent colleagues in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic Poland, Romania, Slovakia, who contributed screeds of excellent material that sadly could not be squeezed in to the storyCorruption in eastern EuropeTalking of virtue, c...
