Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Why the lobbying scandal won’t kill Qatar’s aviation deal with the EU

Why the lobbying scandal won’t kill Qatar’s aviation deal with the EU

The Open Skies agreement has been in place for over a year, and there’s little desire to end it.
Don't worry, intercontinental travelers: Allegations of rampant corruption in the European Parliament won't put a hard stop to the aviation deal between the EU and Qatar.

With a bribery scandal blazing through Parliament, lawmakers voted Thursday to suspend all work relating to Qatar — which includes the final approval of the bloc's aviation agreement with the Gulf state.

However, that won't have any immediate impact on the aviation deal. It was signed last year and is already in effect while member countries get around to ratifying it, something only six countries — Ireland, Austria, Latvia, Greece, Estonia and the Czech Republic — have done. It needs a sign-off from all 27 member countries before going to Parliament for a final nod, a process an EU official said could take from five to 10 years.

That's not stopping members of Parliament from distancing themselves from the deal.

German liberal lawmaker MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen told Germany's ZDF that he’d received offers to visit Qatar, but that he turned them down. The ratification process should be interrupted, he said, “so we can figure out whether Qatar has had any influence.”

French far-left MEP Leïla Chaibi, who proposed the measure on Qatar-related files, blasted Qatar Airways for being “expert in aggressive lobbying and phishing of MPs." The EU-Qatar aviation deal, Chaibi also said, was now "grounded."

The airline did not respond to requests for comment.

In EU capitals, there's little appetite to upend the aviation deal, despite controversies when it was negotiated.

It was opposed by big airlines like Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, which worried it gave more benefits to Qatar than to EU carriers.

“It’s not an easy situation,” said one EU diplomat. “It’s not black or white. The EU has to tread very carefully on this.”

The diplomat pointed out EU nations’ financial entanglements with the Gulf state; for instance, Germany last month signed a 15-year liquefied natural gas supply deal with Qatar.

“If they [Qatar] retaliate, especially now it’s very, very cold, imagine how the gas prices will shoot up,” the diplomat said. “That’s what I think member states are considering.”

A diplomat from a second country said any move to revoke the deal would be a “political decision,” and argued that Parliament should deal with its suspicions in-house.

An official from a country that's already ratified the text also ruled out revoking it.

Other countries said they wanted to see the results of any probe before acting.

“We will await the investigation before we draw any conclusions and hope for an update from the [European Parliament] presidency soon,” said a spokesperson for the Dutch government, co-owner of Air France-KLM.

Even a lobby group formed to combat the deal — Europeans for Fair Competition (E4FC) — is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We are shocked about the corruption claims related to Qatar and MEPs and we welcome the thorough investigation related to the matter. We are closely monitoring the situation,” the lobby group said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×