The Bureau of the European Parliament decided yesterday Monday to prohibit former MEPs from lobbying the body for a period of six months after the end of their term, a first measure of reaction to “Qatar-gate”.

“Following the approval by the presidents of the political groups of the parliament of the reform plan proposed by the president (Roberta Metsola), the bureau adopted the first implementing decision revising the applicable rules for former members of the European Parliament,” says a press release from the European Parliament institution.

The decision, which will come into force on May 1, amends the current rules, which were introduced in 1999, on the privileges granted to former MEPs, following the “Qatargate” scandal that broke out in December.

MEPs were involved in this case, as well as the Italian former MEP Antonio Panzeri, who turned into the head of an NGO, and has confessed that he was among “the leaders of a criminal organization” linked “to Qatar and Morocco”.

The scandal prompted EP President Roberta Metzola to announce reforms. The first decision, adopted yesterday Monday, establishes a “waiting period” of six months, during which former MPs will not have the right to lobby the body.

“After this period, if former MEPs decide to carry out lobbying or representation activities in the European Parliament, they will be required to register in the Transparency Register. Therefore, they will not benefit from the access rights and facilities offered to them because they were former members,” the bureau emphasizes in its statement.

The EP also clarifies in the text published yesterday that further measures will be considered in the coming weeks, in particular for the “participation of representatives of interest groups in events organized by the parliament”, while “at the same time, the implementation of a number of measures that require changes to the Regulation continues” of.