The MEP and satirist Nico Semsrott describes in an interview that there is a “culture of corruption” in Brussels. According to Semsrott, Parliament President Matsola also conceals her lobby contacts. He also accuses the EPP boss, Manfred Weber, of violating the transparency rules.
According to the transparency rules, all MEPs are required to indicate lobbyist contacts on the European Parliament’s website. “But nobody controls that,” said German EU satirical MP Nico Semsrott to “stern”. Parliament President Roberta Metsola is responsible for this. Apparently, the Maltese politician doesn’t take the information very seriously herself. “They allegedly had their last lobby meeting a year and a half ago,” criticizes Semsrott.
Semsrott also accuses the head of the conservative EPP group, Manfred Weber, of violating this transparency rule. “Manfred Weber has not indicated a single meeting during the entire legislative period.” The CSU man “allegedly never met anyone from business? I think that’s suspicious.”
The satirist and cabaret artist Nico Semsrott has been a non-partisan member of the Green Europe Group since leaving the satirical party “die Party” in 2021.
“The political system in Brussels is actually out to look the other way and not to control exactly,” Semsrott told the “stern”. “It’s not due to a lack of rules, it’s due to the lack of consequences of violations.” Anyone who does not provide information about lobby meetings only gets an email from the President with a request to do so. “It’s the worst punishment.”
Semsrott also commented on the allegations of corruption against the Greek EU Vice President Eva Kaili. For him, the affair is proof that there is “a culture for political corruption in Brussels, a culture in which corruption normally has no consequences, in which such behavior has been normalized”.
He himself has “unfortunately” not received any money so far, emphasized Semsrott. “It annoys me, but as a satirist I’m probably too uninteresting to get offers like that.”
