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MEPs furious over ‘green lobby scandal’

by AI | 23.Jan 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Dutch MEPs from VVD, BBB, and NSC find it unacceptable that the European Commission would have subsidized environmental organizations for years, in exchange for lobbying for the Green Deal of former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans. They believe that the “green lobbying scandal,” as BBB’s Sander Smit calls it, should be thoroughly investigated. They also demand clarification from the European Commission about this.

Former European Commissioner Frans Timmermans. (Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

STRASBOURG (ANP) – The Members of the European Parliament are responding to a publication by De Telegraaf, which has seen secret contracts from the European Commission and environmental organizations. In the Green Deal, the EU countries have agreed to be climate neutral by 2050 and to combat biodiversity loss.

European Commissioner Piotr Serafin (Budget, Fraud Prevention) has admitted that NGOs had to lobby with members of the European Parliament. According to him, agreements about this were made by “some services” of the European Commission. “I must admit this was inappropriate,” he said Wednesday evening in a debate with the European Parliament.

“The European Commission should operate neutrally and focus on making fair legislation. It should not use taxpayer money to exert influence on Members of the European Parliament through the backdoor,” ranted VVD MEP Malik Azmani.

Smit demands that all legislation related to the Green Deal be suspended until the scandal is clarified.

NSC MEP Dirk Gotink speaks of “improper influence of the executive authority towards the legislative authority.” He wants to know whether such use of the European Commission is an exception or a rule.

Mohammed Chahim, MEP for GroenLinks-PvdA, also disapproves of the method. “In a decent democracy, ensuring counterbalance is an important pillar. We, as representatives of the people, must hear what people have to say, even if we do not like it. And it cannot just be the voice of companies and lobbying firms with a lot of money that are constantly knocking on our door.”

(January 22, 2025)