Saturday

1st Apr 2023

EU Parliament probes Czech MEP on China ties

  • Czech MEP Jan Zahdril is under a fresh probe at the European Parliament, over his links to China, after having already been a conflict of interests with Vietnam (Photo: ECR)

Czech MEP Jan Zahradil is under an internal probe at the European Parliament over his alleged conflicts of interest with China.

But the conservative MEP - who in 2019 was the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)'s 'Spitzenkandidat' to be the next EU commission president - is unlikely to face any serious reprimands, given weak parliament oversight.

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

The issue stems around a so-called friendship group with China, an informal gathering of MEPs seeking closer ties with Beijing.

As chair, Zahradil earlier this year suspended the group after Politico Europe revealed he had failed to disclose Chinese sponsorship in 2019, in a breach of transparency rules.

He had run into a similar problem when this website in late 2019 exposed a conflict of interest with Vietnam, leading to his resignation as a lead MEP on the country's trade file with the EU.

The parliament probe on Zahradil was revealed after Peter Teffer, a journalist at the Dutch-based outlet Follow the Money, filed a freedom of information request on the China-EU friendship group.

Although his request was denied, the European Parliament explained it did not want to prejudice an ongoing internal probe into Zahradil.

That probe is led by the European Parliament's advisory committee, tasked to make sure MEPs follow a code of conduct.

In reality, it is a slap on the wrist exercise feigning accountability.

The committee is composed of five MEPs. Their probes into 26 colleagues between 2014 and 2019 have led to zero sanctions.

A report out earlier this year by Transparency International, an NGO, faulted the committee because it was compromised by MEPs.

"Even in cases of gross and repeated violations of the code, MEPs only have to fear a reprimand," it said.

Among them is Zahradil ally and Belgian conservative MEP, Geert Bourgeois.

Bourgeois currently chairs the advisory committee and belongs to the same political group as Zahradil.

Within hours of Zahradil's resignation as lead MEP on Vietnam, Bourgeois not only replaced him but then praised his work.

"Dear Jan, you did a great job. I'll do my best to honour your good and hard work so far," he said, in a tweet.

Human Rights Watch on Twitter described Bourgeois' praise for Zahradil as disgraceful.

Its deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson, said Zahradil had shown "a profound lack of moral integrity" for having held a leadership position in a Vietnam front-organisation, while at the same time shepherding through a major trade treaty.

It is unclear if the advisory committee had even launched an investigation into Zahradil's connection to Vietnam. The parliament has in the past refused to acknowledge similar probes into other MEPs, whose conflicts were exposed through media reports.

As for Zahradil's EU-China group, the parliament said any disclosure "would undermine the serenity and integrity" of the committee's work.

For his part, Zahradil did not respond when asked to comment.

Exclusive

Zahradil 'conflict of interest' over EU-Vietnam trade deal

Right-wing Czech MEP Jan Zahradil is leading European Parliament negotiations on a trade deal with Vietnam. As rapporteur, he is supposed to be neutral but has neglected to declare his involvement in a group with ties to the Communist party.

Investigation

MEP friendship groups offer 'backdoor' for pariah regimes

MEPs are using so-called 'friendship groups' to cater to foreign governments without oversight and little public scrutiny. Initially set up to promote cultural exchanges, some have become lobbying platforms to push state views from governments with poor human rights records.

Opinion

EU-Vietnam trade deal a bad day for workers' rights

Behind the smiles and handshakes, the signature of the EU-Vietnam trade and investment deals agreed on Tuesday and to be signed this week have dire consequences for human well-being and our ability to prevent climate and ecological breakdown.

Czech leader downplays Russian bomb attack

The Czech government has downplayed the significance of Russia's lethal attack on a weapons depot in 2014, but further retaliatory measures, including at EU or Nato level, could follow.

Exclusive

Sweden waters down EU press-freedom law

Press-freedom groups from Paris to New York have voiced dismay at Sweden's proposal to weaken a landmark EU law against corporate and political bullies.

Opinion

Why can't we stop marches glorifying Nazism on EU streets?

Every year, neo-Nazis come together to pay tribute to Nazi war criminals and their collaborators, from Benito Mussolini to Rudolf Hess, Ante Pavelić, Hristo Lukov, and of course Adolf Hitler, in events that have become rituals on the extreme-right calendar.

Latest News

  1. EU to press South Korea on arming Ukraine
  2. Aid agencies clam up in Congo sex-for-work scandal
  3. Ukraine — what's been destroyed so far, and who pays?
  4. EU sending anti-coup mission to Moldova in May
  5. Firms will have to reveal and close gender pay-gap
  6. Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?
  7. Police violence in rural French water demos sparks protests
  8. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us