It is time to put the Ethics Body at the heart of EU efforts to reinforce citizens’ trust in politics – this is the message from the Socialists and Democrats ahead of a key European Parliament debate today.

Members of the European Parliament will debate democratic standards in Plenary for the first time since news broke of an alleged European Parliament corruption scandal connected to the Chinese tech giant Huawei.

All political Groups in Parliament have a responsibility to use the debate – titled Need to ensure democratic pluralism, strengthen integrity, transparency and anti-corruption policies in the EU – to send a clear message to citizens that Parliament is committed to the highest democratic and ethical standards.

Juan Fernando López Aguilar, S&D shadow on the Ethics Body in the AFCO Committee, said:

“The public credibility of EU institutions is on the line. It has been one year since this Parliament endorsed the Ethics Body. Yet, progress on its implementation has stalled.

“The Parliament must send a clear message in Plenary that it has a plan to safeguard trust in politics. Citizens deserve more than handwringing.

“The Ethics Body is a positive step forward and a significant improvement on the status quo. We are working constructively to put it into place. We hope that all other Political Groups will recognise the seriousness of the situation and show the same level of commitment to safeguarding high democratic and ethical standards in the EU. Trust in European democracy is too important for games.”

The EU Ethics Body will set a single framework for cooperation on ethical standards across the EU institutions. The European Parliament endorsed the new EU ethics body in April 2024 following a strong progressive push. Subsequently, EU institutions and advisory bodies – including the Parliament and Commission – validated and signed the agreement to establish the Ethics Body.

The Socialists and Democrats are determined to root out corruption in the European Institutions. The S&D Group has set out proposals for reform – contained in a 15-point plan(opens in a new tab) [1] – to make the European Parliament corruption-proof.