Episode 42: Qatargate - The tyrant lobby and why transparency matters

EU Watchdog Radio

Corporate Europe Observatory and Counter Balance

News, Politics

5 • 1 Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Corporate Europe Observatory's researcher Kat Ainger, Olivier Hoedeman and Hans van Scharen talk about the corruption scandal and its’ consequences.This is the 42nd episode of EU Watchdog Radio where we talk all things Qatargate. What the EPP is plotting against civil society, what the problems are with the current EU transparency register and what better examples are used in other countries. CEO has for almost a decade now been looking into human rights abusers hiring consultants and repress...

Transcript

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0:00.0	The current register really is not a serious solution to the problems with repressive regime interference.
0:05.0	We need something with far more teeth.
0:08.0	The EPP is using Qatar Gate as a sort of reason to start questioning and put on the suspicion the workings of civil society.
0:20.0	What is missing is a specific action to make sure that all the lobbying efforts by repressive
0:27.0	regimes are made visible. You're listening to EU Watchdog Radio.
0:44.5	Today the World Cup in Qatar is a proof actually of how sports diplomacy can achieve a historical transformation of a country, with reforms that inspired the Arab world.
0:54.6	Still some here are calling to discriminate them.
0:57.7	They bully them and they accuse everyone that talks to them or engages of corruption.
1:02.9	This is the now famous speech by Eva Kiley in the European Parliament.
1:07.1	I'm Joanna Lossin, Combs Officer at Corporate Europe Observatory or CEO.
1:11.8	And in this episode, I'll talk to my colleagues Kat Enger, Olivia Huderman and Hans von Scharen
1:16.9	about the corruption scandal and its consequences.
1:20.3	Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was actually convicted for not registering properly
1:27.1	in FARA and sent to jail. He had funneled millions
1:30.3	through a lobbying vehicle called the European Centre for a modern Ukraine. And surprise, surprise,
1:35.9	that centre was based in Brussels. It had close ties to the toppled Yanukovych regime. And from
1:43.4	Brussels, it had contracted PR firms in the US
1:45.8	for multi-million dollar contracts to represent the former Ukrainian ruling party. Now, in the EU
1:51.9	transparency register, it had claimed it had a budget of a mere €10,000. Obviously, nothing at all
1:57.9	happened as a result of this failure to be honest or declare properly
2:03.1	in the EU Transparency Register.
2:05.2	In the US, Manafort ended up in jail.
	...

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