Saturday

9th Dec 2023

MEPs trade fraud allegations over assistants

  • National Front MEP and leader Marine Le Pen - Olaf is investigating if National Front MEPs have paid assistant salaries to people whose tasks are not related to European Parliament work (Photo: europarl.europa.eu)

Allegations that French far-right right MEPs have breached European Parliament rules on hiring assistants have triggered “tit-for-tat” accusations among other MEPs, the director of the EU's anti-fraud agency told journalists on Tuesday (2 June).

Giovanni Kessler likened it to the wave of accusations among German politicians that followed a 2011 plagiarism scandal involving the then defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • Since 2010, Olaf is receiving an increasing number of allegations ("incoming information"). (Photo: European Anti-Fraud Office)

“They started accusing each other ... This is what is happening in the parliament now”, said Kessler, who is director general of the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf).

Kessler indicated the attitude of MEPs was defensive summing it up as: “You are accusing me to have assistants which are not exactly in line with regulation? What about your assistant?”.

Olaf is investigating if National Front MEPs have paid assistant salaries to people whose tasks were not related to European Parliament work.

But Olaf is also investigating allegations "on other assistants, because this has triggered tit-for-tat. Many. Now it is becoming popular.”

Kessler did “not want to comment further” on the issue, but did say that “the rules on assistants in the parliament are not the most crystal clear we have ever seen … which gives a lot of space for allegations and also possibly some people playing with it”.

European parliament president Martin Schulz made the allegations public last March.

Although Kessler did not directly comment on Schulz, he criticised those who file a complaint with Olaf and then tell the press, something Kessler "regrets" because it impedes the investigation.

Annual report

The Italian official made his remarks at a press conference to present his office's annual report.

The report showed that Olaf opened 234 investigations in 2014, and closed 250 investigations. Both figures are slightly above the annual average of the past ten years.

But Olaf, whose staff of 421 is 19 fewer than a year earlier says it is unable to open more investigations.

“We are at the top of our capacity. Our forces are stretched”, said Kessler.

In 2014, the agency received 1,417 new allegations of fraud or corruption involving EU funds or staff. The number of complaints filed with Olaf has steadily risen in recent years from 975 in 2010.

“Is there more fraud, more corruption than in the past? We do not think so”, said Kessler, who noted that the increase in allegations probably stems from “increased awareness” of the issue and readiness to report possible fraud.

Last year, Olaf also dismissed 1,067 allegations, up from 961 in 2013.

The largest portion of allegations come from private sources. These range from “companies which report a request of a bribe that they might have received … [to] the anonymous who says: 'I didn't win the lottery, this is corruption'”, said Kessler.

Information from public sources (most often EU institutions) is “quality-wise better, more substantial”.

As in preceding years, the largest number of allegations are about possible misuse of the EU's structural funds.

Of the 156 closed investigations into the use of EU funds managed at national or regional level, the largest portion (36) concerned Romania, followed by Hungary (13), and Bulgaria (11).

But that does not mean that those countries “are the most fraudulent”, noted Kessler, because the figures also include cases where no fraud or corruption was detected.

He also added that it is becoming increasingly difficult to “put everything in the national boxes”

“More and more these kind of crimes are of a transnational nature.”

Olaf itself cannot fine or convict anyone, but only give national authorities a recommendation.

In the past seven years, 33 percent of Olaf's recommendations have led to an indictment, 30 percent were dismissed. The rest of them has not yet been processed.

In 2014, €206.5 million was recovered for the EU budget. At the end of the year, there were still 474 investigations ongoing.

National Front in EU fraud allegation

The National Front is facing allegations of fraud for having the EU parliament pay salaries to MEP assistants who perform tasks unrelated to the assembly.

EU parliament staff object to canteen price hikes

The EP has stopped subsidising its self-service restaurant, leading to price increases for staff who choose to eat there. It was even discussed in the Committee on Budgetary Control.

Polish truck protest at Ukraine border disrupts war supplies

Disruption at the Polish-Ukrainian border by disaffected Polish truckers is escalating, potentially affecting delivery of military aid to Ukraine. A Polish request to reintroduce permits for Ukrainian drivers has been described as "a shot to the head" during war.

Opinion

Tusk's difficult in-tray on Poland's judicial independence

What is obvious is that PiS put in place a set of interlocking safeguards for itself which, even after their political defeat in Poland, will render it very difficult for the new government to restore the rule of law.

Opinion

Can Green Deal survive the 2024 European election?

Six months ahead of the EU elections, knocking an 'elitist' climate agenda is looking like a vote-winner to some. Saving the Green Deal and the EU's climate ambitions starts with listening to Europeans who are struggling to make ends meet.

Latest News

  1. How Moldova is trying to control tuberculosis
  2. Many problems to solve in Dubai — honesty about them is good
  3. Sudanese fleeing violence find no haven in Egypt or EU
  4. How should EU reform the humanitarian aid system?
  5. EU suggests visa-bans on Israeli settlers, following US example
  6. EU ministers prepare for all-night fiscal debate
  7. Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief
  8. Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us