The European Parliament has enacted new ethics regulations mandating that all senior representatives declare conflicts of interest for themselves, as well as family members and anyone with whom they are romantically involved.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola was a staunch advocate of getting such a stringent mandate passed, and yet, its passage includes an exception for the president of the European Parliament, that is her.
This is of note since Roberta Metsola’s husband, Ukko Metsola, lobbies for Royal Caribbean Group, one of the world’s largest cruise companies.
Despite the couple’s assurances that they do not discuss work and keep their professional lives separate, this is partly irrelevant and partly unbelievable. As to the latter, one can only take the couple at their word, although it does appear that Ukko enjoyed high influence well before his wife’s ascendancy in the EP. He even told Politico that “his list of contacts was built long before Roberta achieved high office” and said his social life had become “quite limited” due to his wife’s “busy schedule.”
The former issue is, however, of paramount importance. How can trust be built in an institution if its leaders do not hold themselves to the very measures they impose on others beneath them?
As Magyar Nemzet highlighted, the EP president does not just enjoy exclusion from disclosure rules pertaining to her high-powered lobbyist husband. She also has recently again tried to appoint her brother-in-law to be her chief of staff, this time successfully. Then, there is the excuse that she “forgot” to submit her statement about gifts she received, with her subordinates attempting to push the line that this was customary for EP presidents.
Long-time critic of Hungary and German MEP Daniel Freund (Greens), had an odd reaction to the situation, given his incessant coverage of alleged rule-of-law violations in Hungary, saying only that “family is a sensitive topic.” This is rather funny, as some of the major concerns voiced regarding Metsola’s undisclosed relationship with a lobbyist are that Ukko lobbies for a major polluting industry and has continuously sought funds from the EU to help with his sector’s green transition.
