London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

‘Wow, that’s not democratic’: New Slovenian PM weighs in on Qatargate

‘Wow, that’s not democratic’: New Slovenian PM weighs in on Qatargate

In an interview with POLITICO, political newcomer Robert Golob expresses astonishment at the widening scandal alleging cash for influence.
Stupefied; mind-boggling. Those are some of the choice words used by one EU leader to describe the corruption scandal that has engulfed the European Parliament.

Speaking to POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast, Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob expressed his disbelief at the system in place that allowed the alleged bribery of European officials to flourish. 

“I was stupefied by hearing what kind of a regime they had up to now when it comes to former parliamentarians, to former members and to former staff members,” he told POLITICO in an interview on the sidelines of last month’s European Council meeting in Brussels.

The businessman-turned-politician is a relative newcomer to the European Council table, having been appointed prime minister last May.

“I’m new to the scene. It is something that is totally: ‘Wow, that’s not democratic. That’s really the way it was organized up till now?’” he told POLITICO. “It’s sort of inviting these things to happen.”

“There was practically no control over what’s going on in the Parliament, which is really mind-boggling to me,” he said, adding: “It could have a negative impact if not addressed properly.” 

His comments reflect a widely held view among EU leaders, expressed privately at last month’s summit: that the scandal threatens to threaten the credibility of the entire EU, particularly ahead of next year’s European Parliament election.

In an interview with POLITICO last month, European Council President Charles Michel said that allegations of countries, including Qatar, seeking to buy influence in Brussels is “dramatic and damaging for the credibility of the European Union” and makes it harder for the EU to deal with multiple competing crises.

“We first need to learn lessons from this and come up with a package of measures to avoid such things — to prevent corruption in the future,” said Michel, a former Belgian prime minister who heads the European Council, the body that convenes the leaders of the EU’s 27 member countries.

Four individuals, including Greek MEP Eva Kailli and former MEP Antonio Panzeri, have been arrested as part of a probe by Belgian authorities stretching back to March 2021. The allegations — which include sensational details of cash found in suitcases and apartments, and multiple raids of homes and offices across Brussels — have rocked the EU.

Golob’s comments come as European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is poised to unveil new rules to beef up the legislative body’s rules around transparency and ethics in a push to repair the battered reputation of the European Parliament.

Among the measures are proposals to strengthen protection for whistleblowers, increased scrutiny of how NGOs are funded and new rules for European parliamentarians on how to interact with representatives from non-EU countries.

In addition, the European Commission is due to accelerate its proposal — first suggested three years ago — to establish a new EU-wide independent ethics body.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×