Latest news with #Metsola
Bangkok Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU rules change
STRASBOURG, France - When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to the Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was 'dumbfounded'. It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it — in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European Parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. 'To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake,' Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. But on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. No more 'tarnishing' Describing herself as 'stubborn and pig-headed', Princi lawyered up, compiled an 'almost 100-page long' dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. But the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. 'I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis,' Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include 'essential elements' such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. 'If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it' before any announcement is made, Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few 'days of hell' — and dirty looks from colleagues. 'Question marks' The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. 'I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit,' he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it 'would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary,' Freund said, adding 'some question marks' also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation.
Int'l Business Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Huawei Probe Blunder Sparks EU Parliament Rules Change
When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was "dumbfounded". It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it -- in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European Parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. "To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake," Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. But on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. Describing herself as "stubborn and pig-headed", Princi lawyered up, compiled an "almost 100-page long" dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. But the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. "I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis," Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include "essential elements" such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. "If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it" before any announcement is made, Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few "days of hell" -- and dirty looks from colleagues. The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. "I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit," he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it "would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary," Freund said, adding "some question marks" also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing. Belgian prosecutors withdrew the request targeting lawmaker Giusi Princi a day after she was publicly named AFP
Euronews
25-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
MEPs vote for Parliament to sue Commission over €150bn defence scheme
The European Parliament's legal affairs (JURI) committee on Tuesday recommended that the institution takes the Commission to court for bypassing MEPs to set up a €150 billion loan programme to boost defence spending across the bloc. The motion was approved in a secret vote with 20 out of 23 votes in favour. Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, now has to decide whether to follow JURI's recommendation. Euronews has contacted Metsola's cabinet for comment. Metsola had in early May warned her counterpart in the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that a lawsuit could be pending if the EU executive didn't amend the legal basis it used to set up the SAFE programme The Commission has invoked Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to set up SAFE which allows member states to directly approve a Commission proposal "if severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products" or if a member state is "seriously threatened with severe difficulties caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences beyond its control". Despite the threat, the Commission stuck to its argument and member states approved the SAFE regulation later that same month. A spokesperson for the Commission reiterated in a statement to Euronews that it stands firm in its belief that it has chosen the right legal basis because "Europe faces an unprecedented security threat". "The Commission will always be available to explain why Article 122 TFEU has been chosen as the appropriate legal basis," Thomas Regnier added Under the programme, the Commission will raise up to €150 billion on the market to then loan the money to member states for defence investments. It is a key plank of the Commission's 'Readiness 2030' proposal that aims to see hundreds of billions of euros invested into defence across the EU before the end of the decade, when some intelligence agencies believe Russia could be in a position to attack a European country. In her letter to von der Leyen, Metsola had stressed that "the European Parliament is not questioning the merits of this proposal for a regulation," but is instead "deeply concerned" that its adoption without a proper legal basis would be "putting at risk democratic legitimacy by undermining Parliament's legislative and scrutiny functions". Article 122 was previously used by the Commission to react swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic and to speed up the permits for renewable energy during the height of the energy crisis. To access SAFE, member states now have to work on and submit plans detailing their projects. To be successful, they need to submit projects involving at least two member states (or a qualifying third county), while a European preference whereby two-thirds of the value of the project must be manufactured in Europe also applies. Funding for SAFE is expected to start in early 2026.
Sharjah 24
23-06-2025
- Business
- Sharjah 24
Abdullah bin Zayed receives European Parliament President
Strengthening UAE–EU relations The UAE top diplomat welcomed Metsola's visit. During the meeting—held in Abu Dhabi—they discussed paths of bilateral cooperation and ways to enhance relations at various levels to serve mutual interests. Economic and strategic partnerships His Highness Sheikh Abdullah praised the growing and evolving ties between the UAE and the EU, particularly following the recent launch of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. He noted this reflects a mutual commitment to a prosperous UAE–EU partnership across multiple sectors. Advancing parliamentary cooperation Sheikh Abdullah also commended the strengthening relationship between the Federal National Council (FNC) and the European Parliament. He highlighted the high-level parliamentary event hosted in the UAE, which included a special UAE–EU session chaired by Saqr Ghobash and attended by Metsola. Discussing regional developments The two leaders discussed ongoing serious developments in the Middle East and their implications for regional peace and security. Role of parliaments in peace and stability Sheikh Abdullah emphasised the vital role of parliaments in supporting diplomatic efforts to consolidate peace, ensure stability, and safeguard both regional and global security. Attendees The meeting was also attended by Saqr Ghobash, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, and Mohamed Ismail Al Sahlawi, UAE Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union.
Al Etihad
23-06-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Abdullah bin Zayed receives European Parliament President to discuss cooperation, regional developments
23 June 2025 23:02 ABU DHABI (WAM)His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, received Roberta Metsola, President of the European UAE top diplomat welcomed the visit of Metsola, and during the meeting—held in Abu Dhabi—they discussed the paths of bilateral cooperation as well as ways to enhance relations at various levels to serve mutual Highness Sheikh Abdullah praised the growing and evolving ties between the UAE and the EU, particularly following the recent announcement of the launch of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations between the two sides. This, he noted, reflects a mutual commitment to establishing a prosperous UAE–EU cooperation across multiple also commended the deepening relations between the Federal National Council (FNC) and the European Parliament, especially as the UAE hosted a high-level parliamentary event today that included a special UAE-EU session chaired by Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the FNC, and attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Metsola discussed the serious developments in the Middle East and their impacts on regional peace and emphasised the critical role of parliaments in supporting diplomatic efforts aimed at consolidating peace and stability in the region, as well as in safeguarding regional and international security. The meeting was also attended by Saqr Ghobash, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, and Mohamed Ismail Al Sahlawi, UAE Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union.
