"Europe's task is no longer and will never be to rule the world, nor to spread its idea of prosperity and goodness by force, nor to impose its culture on the world, nor even to instruct it. Its only meaningful task in the coming century is to be its best self, that is, to resurrect and project into its own life its own best spiritual traditions, and thus to participate creatively in the creation of a new way of world coexistence."
Václav Havel
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He who has money has power and ever greater appetites. The risk is losing touch with common sense. He gradually becomes a victim himself, without knowing it. The majority will pay the price, even if the politician may act in good faith. Money and the power associated with it, corrupts, few can resist. Few decent people will penetrate their "bubble", let alone change the established rules. Those who do not cooperate are bought or destroyed. Let us hope that the war in Ukraine will also help to stop this dangerous trend and change policy behaviour for the benefit of Europe and the future of the world. This will not happen without the growth of civic engagement, nor without capable leaders. This important article is not available in the SPIEGEL archive. It is not even listed on the front page. The media has been silent about the corruption and the investigation for almost half a year. Let us hope that the reason is the ongoing investigation, not the interest of those in power to sweep the case into oblivion. JŠ
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EUROPA: SPIEGEL was able to view hundreds of pages from investigative files, including interrogation transcripts and conversations recorded by the secret service. They allow a reconstruction of the corruption scandal in the EU Parliament - and give an idea that it could be much bigger than previously known.
That Panzeri's network is the only one of its kind in Brussels hardly seems imaginable to many. "There are a number of countries that have systematically bought influence in the long term," says Green MEP Viola von Cramon. Apart from Qatar and Morocco, these include Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia. "This must be fully clarified. Nothing less than the credibility of European democracy is at stake."
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