MEPs who want to circumvent public scrutiny when dealing with foreign regimes and governments are setting up so-called friendship groups.
These unregulated bodies have mushroomed over the years, causing headaches for official MEP delegations, while giving shady government figures a valuable lobbying foothold inside the European Parliament.
Friendship groups do not represent the European Parliament - but are sometimes quoted in local media as if they had official status, including...
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Already a member? Login hereNikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.
Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.