(*) (*) (**) (***) Paid flights and luxury hotels( ****) (***) MEPs suck at transparency ( ****) (*****) (******)( ***) (** (***)( ******************* ************************* ************************* **********).( *************\************************\************************\******************).( ***** ************************* **********************),( *\************************\************************\************************\***):( ******************** ************************* ************************* Clock( ****)( ****)( ****)( *******)( ******\*)( ********)( *)( ******)( ****\****) MEPs do not earn badly, but many trips, hotels and flights can be paid for. They actually have to be disclosed, but Transparency International states: “The MPs don’t take the statements seriously.”( **********)( * ******)( ******) Overnight stays in luxury hotels, intercontinental flights, entry to football matches: German MEPs have third parties pay for many things on their trips. Numerous politicians violate their disclosure obligations, as an evaluation by the German Press Agency shows. All MEPs from the parties represented in the Bundestag were asked whether they had correctly disclosed travel paid for by third parties as well as events and gifts during the current legislature in accordance with Parliament’s internal rules. In the course of the corruption scandal surrounding the EU Parliament, such admissible courtesies have increasingly come into focus.( *******)( ******) According to parliamentary rules, MPs must report travel and gifts paid for by third parties that they receive in certain functions by the end of the following month at the latest and publish them in a public register. However, there are various exceptions, some of which the parliamentarians themselves do not fully understand. An example: Several MEPs announced that they are currently having Parliament examine whether vehicles provided by local authorities for security reasons are subject to the obligation to register when traveling to Ukraine.( *******)( *)( *)( ***********)( ********\***)( *************)( ******\*******)( ***************)( \***************)( ********\******)( *****************)( ***************)( ********\*********)( **************\****)( ********************)( *********************)( *\********************) (***\****)( ********)( ******) The list of payouts is long: Katarina Barley , one of the Vice Presidents of the European Parliament, according to the documents, in November( **************** ***************\**********************) one night in a luxury hotel in Frankfurt Made Villa Kennedy pay while she was at a press ball. A few months earlier, the SPD politician had received payment for an overnight stay in the five-star Le Méridien hotel in Hamburg from the Strasburger Kreise organization. According to the organization’s website, in this context it has ************************* **********************) invited guests in their speech given a relentless view of the European Union. In addition, she was in October (*********************\************************\*******) at a 1. FC Köln game without having to pay admission. When asked about the trips, Barley shared, “I have a total of (****************\************************\************************\************) trips declared – regardless of whether they are notifiable or not.” (*******)( **) Nights in luxury hotels (*****) (******) For Lena Düpont from the CDU, among other things, three nights in the Imperial hotel New Delhi are noted as part of the “Indo-German Women’s Leadership Initiative”. The hotel describes itself as the best five star hotel in the financial center of New Delhi. According to the documents, she reported three nights at the Royal Beach hotel in Tel Aviv about two weeks too late. They were paid for by an organization that wants to promote German-Israeli relations. Her party friend Andreas Schwab also had two nights in this hotel paid for, but also a business-class flight to New York, among other things. He stated that all trips were closely related to information needs for specific legislative projects.( *******) (*)( *)( ***\*******)( ****************\******) (*************)( ***\********************)( ***\***********)( ************\************)( ***********\***)( ********************\*****)( ***************)( **\************************)( *******************)( ****\***************) (********\************)( ***********\**********)( ********)( ****\***) (******) Bernhard Zimniok from the AfD spent October( *********\************************\********************) by invitation two nights in ei a luxury hotel in India. The Greens politician Reinhard Bütikofer disclosed that most trips were paid for at least in part by third parties – all of them on time, usually after just a few days. From the documents for more than( ********************\************************\************************\****) Travel shows that the Australian government paid for, among other things, five flights – all business class – and seven nights in hotels. According to the information, the background is an “individual special visitors program” for Bütikofer. As further information from the MP shows, he had meetings there almost every day – for example with university, government and business representatives.( *******)( *** ***) Overall, the dpa (******************* ************************* ********************) MPs requested,( **\************************\************************\***************) answered punctually – what about( *****\************************\************************\*********) corresponds to percent. Pass away, with five parliamentarians each, the smallest German delegations from the FDP and Die Linke were the only ones who answered in full. Of the( *********************** ************************* ************************* ****) SPD deputies answered 2 questions that were not asked. From the Greens there were also 2 of the (*******************\************************\************************\****) Deputies did not reply on time – one deputy answered late. The response in absolute numbers was lowest for the Union: Von( ***************** ************************* ************************* ******) 8 elected officials did not answer the questions. Proportionately, the politicians of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) most frequently did not answer – here it was four out of nine. (*******)( **)”There is a culture of impunity” (*****)( *)( *) ( ***********)( ************ ****************)( ******** *****)( ******************* **********)( ************** (*********************** *******)( ***************)( * ************************* *****)( ***************)( *** ************************* ****) (*******************) ( ********************)( **** *****************)( ******* ***************)( ********)( ********)( ******) Of the more than( ******* ************************* ************************* ***************) MPs, travel or gifts or similar have only( *********************\************************\************************\********) all deadlines are safely met. At( ***********************\************************\************************\*) was not the case passes away. Also have( *********************** ************************* ************************* *****) only disclosed trips or gifts after the request, which could have been declared beforehand. There are no major differences between the parties here. Social Democrats, Union politicians, Greens and Liberals will be there. Only left and AfD do not stand out. When MEPs comment on their mistakes, it is said that they missed deadlines by mistake or ignorance. (*******)( ******) “The MPs don’t take the statements seriously,” criticizes Raphael Kergueno from the organization Transparency International. It is not surprising that many explanations come too late. “There is a culture of impunity,” Kergueno said. Because the President of Parliament decides on penalties. Recently, Roberta Metsola herself came under criticism – she had also reported too late a night in a French luxury hotel paid for by a wine brotherhood for her and her husband. So far, there has been no talk of sanctions.( *******) (********)( **\************************\*****)( ******************\***************)source( ******** *************)( *********** **********************)( **) The Best Amsterdam hotel Deals( *****)( ******) Click the button listed below to get the very best discount rates on hotels in Amsterdam.( *******)( ******) ( *******) (******)( ****** ( *********************** ************)( **)Visit Amsterdam? 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