Call for MEPs to be suspended for not declaring interests

Date: 07/01/1999

By Rory Watson

EURO MPs who ignore repeated warnings to declare their outside financial interests could in future be suspended and temporarily barred from taking part in the work of the European Parliament.

Such a punishment would not only be enormously embarrassing, but would also hit members' pockets since they would lose their daily allowances for the period they were under suspension.

The idea, proposed by UK Socialist MEP Glyn Ford, has already been approved by the institution's rules committee and is due to be considered by the full Parliament early this year.

The move is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to put the Parliament's own house in order and to avoid any allegations of sleaze by ensuring the highest standards of conduct among members, particularly as they prepare to face the electorate in June.

Under Ford's scheme, members who had not submitted their entry into the register of outside interests within a specified period each year would be given two warnings. If these were still ignored, they would face the parliamentary equivalent of a 'yellow card'.

They would then feature on a list of defaulters' names which would be published in the daily Hansard-style report which provides a record of parliamentary proceedings during plenary sessions. If even this proved to be an insufficient deterrent, they could be given a 'red card' and suspended, for possibly between two and five days.

"If you do not have suspension, then you undermine the whole thing, but I believe you should build up to that situation. What I propose is simple and reasonable. A member who has not made a declaration of financial interests will first be sent two reminders," explained Ford.

"Although there is a register of MEPs' interests, too many members have not made a declaration, so I was asked to come up with a proposal to enforce the rules about declarations," he added.

When the Labour member began drafting his report last autumn, a score of Euro MPs had never submitted their 1997 declaration and around 100 had still not done so for 1998, even though it is now compulsory for members to complete the register.

In addition to any outside financial interests, MEPs must declare any gifts, payments or assistance worth more than €100. The decision to spell out clearly what should be listed was taken a couple of years ago to ensure consistency in what members declared.

Before the rules were clarified, a small minority of Euro MPs listed all their outside interests in great detail, including any per diem allowances they received as local mayors and councillors, while others merely signed and returned blank forms.

Although Ford's tough disciplinary approach has been supported by the Parliament's rules committee, it will almost certainly face opposition when it is discussed at a plenary session.

British Conservative member Brendan Donnelly was one of those who opposed the idea of suspension at committee stage.

"I am fully in favour of naming and shaming, but we need to try this first. I just do not think that there is support, certainly not in the European People's Party group, for endorsing a penal approach if MEPs do not fill out the register," he said. "Instead of something as sweeping as is being suggested, I would rather consider the possibility of sanctions by the bureau such as withholding part of the per diem allowances."

If Ford's proposal is accepted by the Parliament as a whole, the rules on the declarations of members' interests and on the sanctions which would be applied if these were ignored would be among the most strict in the Union.

However, some MEPs may actually use the opportunity provided by the parliamentary debate on the proposals to press for further changes.

Several would like to see the register put on the Internet so that members themselves and the public could check declarations made by Euro MPs easily and quickly to see if they had any direct interest when speaking in debates on future EU legislation.