Following the European Parliament scandal, the European Commission banned its meetings with Huaway
The European Commission has spread the ban on its employees from contacting representatives of the Chinese technology company Huaway and on organizations that represent its interests. This is the background of a March scandal for illegal lobbying in the European Parliament.
It was then clear that several employees of the company’s representation in Brussels were detained, their offices were searched and they were investigating for reports that they had given expensive gifts to MEPs and their associates to sign a letter in support of the Chinese company.
According to sources of the investigation, eight MEPs have signed for dinners, nights and tickets for football matches.
The European Parliament has been investigated for political services in favor of Huaway
A statement first distributed by Politico said the ban covers « all intermediaries acting on behalf of Huaway, who would participate in meetings and other contacts with commission officials to promote the company’s interests. »
On Thursday, a spokesman for the European Commission said that any meeting of an organization whose member is Huaway will be judged before confirmed.
According to the register of lobbying organizations in Brussels, Huaway is a member of 22 similar organizations, including influential « Digital Europe », Businesseurope and the European Internet Forum. Some of them have already stopped working with the Chinese company.
The European Parliament stopped the access of Huaway lobbyists
The representation of the interests of different branches and organizations before the European institutions is legal activity, but the contacts of officials and political figures such as MEPs are not in detail regulated and is based mainly on ethical codes.
On Thursday, the European Commission explained that a complete ban on meetings would not be fair, as such branch organizations often have hundreds of members.
