Friday

9th Jun 2023

Ticker

Former Jobbik MEP sentenced to prison for Russia spying

Hungary's Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced former Jobbik MEP Béla Kovács to five years in prison for spying, Hungarian media reported. He was also sentenced for budget fraud and falsification of documents. According to the indictment, between 2012 and 2014, Kovács' task was to create groups in the EU to strengthen Russia's interests and weaken EU policy. Kovács lives in Moscow. An international warrant could be issued for his arrest.

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EU's proposed ethics body 'toothless', say campaigners

Transparency campaigners say the new ethics body proposed by the European Commission will do little to prevent corruption at the EU institutions. The proposal comes six months after allegations of a Qatari corruption affair involving a former European Parliament vice-president.

Opinion

The 'BlackRock exemption' has no place in the EU's due diligence directive

With the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, there's an opportunity to harness the power of investment for truly sustainable activities. But to do this, it must not allow the 'BlackRock exemption' and instead cover institutional investors and asset managers.

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