Webinar on Zoom
Distrust in public institutions is an ongoing challenge across the Union. This is becoming ever more pressing in light of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament in June. Concerns over democratic and rule of law backsliding, as well as repeated instances of corruption, conflicts of interest and revolving doors have certainly contributed to this phenomenon.
Parliament finally greenlit the establishment of a new, independent inter-institutional ethics body during its final plenary in April 2024, after the Commission unveiled the proposal in 2023 following the Qatargate scandal. But even that initiative has been criticised for its lack of a binding, enforceable code of conduct and the competence to investigate and sanction.
Without a commitment to step up the scrutiny of all institutional members’ conduct, the effort to promote broader voter turnout and public participation in the upcoming mandate is a losing game.
This webinar presents a ‘rule of law approach to ethical oversight’ as an avenue towards reinforcing institutional trust ahead of and beyond the 2024 European elections. Based on the recent CEPS commentary on the topic, the invited speakers will each provide input on how to deliver a better ethics regime to encourage trust among voters.
