Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session | Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images MEPs want tougher ethics rules for everyone — but themselves Proposals to reform code of conduct continue to meet resistance.

Members of the European Parliament have not been shy about calling on other EU institutions to toughen up their ethics rules. But in an ongoing debate over their own conflict-of-interest measures, they are proving less eager to act quickly.

In a debate Tuesday in Strasbourg, several MEPs voiced frustration with the European Commission over how it has responded to controversies involving former members José Manuel Barroso and Neelie Kroes, saying it needed to reform its code of conduct. At the same time, long-running efforts to tighten the Parliament's ethics rules — including restrictions on outside jobs MEPs can hold and stricter disclosure requirements — are being held up by the assembly's biggest political groups, the European People's Party and the Socialists & Democrats.

“Yes, the Commission has its own issues, but no one is taking a look at the festival of oddities happening at the Parliament,” said a Commission official.

While the Commission was dealing with questions about its former members, MEPs were expected to work on a report drafted by the Green MEP Sven Giegold on transparency and accountability of all the EU institutions.

But the report was frozen in September, Giegold said at the time, because conservative members wanted "to delete all real progress, such as lobby transparency, a ban on lobby side jobs and effective sanctions against conflicts of interest."

But some left-wing MEPs are trying to revive the issue by moving their proposals to another report on proposed rules changes for the assembly.

In recent weeks lawmakers have tabled more than 1,000 amendments to a planned revision of the internal rules of the Parliament, a text framing the working methods of the EU legislative body and MEPs rights and obligations as lawmakers. The negotiations are being carried out by Richard Corbett, a British Labour MEP.

The latest wave of amendments includes several proposals on conflict-of-interest rules and on MEPs ethics, a controversial topic with members. Ideas include greater disclosure of their financial assets, and greater scrutiny and investigative powers of the Parliament to track conflict of interests.

Giegold and Max Andersson, a Swedish Green MEP, have tried to recycle the main ideas in their stalled effort by filing more than 40 amendments to Corbett's proposal. Among other things, they are proposing a cooling-off period up to two years for MEPs after they leave office and new investigative powers for the Parliament's advisory committee on ethics rules.

"The battleground shifted into my report," said Corbett.

"Walking the talk when it comes to our own rules is a key contribution to strengthen the ties of trust between the European Parliament and European citizens," said Giegold.

The new rules changes are expected to be voted on before the end of the year.

If those amendments are adopted, MEPs won’t be able to be lobbyists or consultants with companies influencing EU legislation. They would have to disclose their financial assets and more precisely what they earn outside the Parliament. And eventually, once they leave, a cooling-off period up to 24 months would be put in place to prevent former members from holding lobbying jobs.

The Commission has come under criticism for perceived loopholes in its ethics rules — highlighted in July when Barroso accepted a position with investment bank Goldman Sachs International and in September when it was revealed that Kroes had failed to disclose her status as a director of a financial holding based in the Bahamas while she was a commissioner.

But questions have also been raised about prominent MEPs who hold outside jobs that could pose conflict-of-interest problems.

Guy Verhofstadt, chairman of the Parliament's liberal bloc, is a board member of Sofina, a Belgian holding company. He receives more than €10,000 monthly for this side activity, according to his declaration of interests.

Angelika Niebler, a German conservative MEP, was criticized by transparency groups in July for her side job with the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. “There is no conflict of interest," Niebler said at the time. "I strictly differentiate between my parliamentary work as MEP and my work as a lawyer.”

Andreas Schwab, another German center-right MEP is a counselor in the German law firm Hasche Sigle, which represents German publishers.

Last week, the Commission proposed last tougher lobbying rules for all the EU institutions, include a requirement that MEPs can meet only with registered lobbyists — a proposal also pushed by some leftist MEPs. But to be approved, the Commission proposal will have to survive tough negotiations among the institutions.

"But it is going to be very difficult for MEPs to agree," said a source closed to the talks.

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