Updated Friday with EP spokesperson reply

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has published a register of 142 gifts she received amid calls for greater transparency in the EU body. 

Although the gifts received by MEPs used to be declared internally, it is the first time a president has made them available to the public.

However, it seems that the declaration, made available on January 12, was issued a week late. Internal rules stipulate that elected representatives must declare gifts by the end of the month following the month in which they receive them. 

The list of gifts is somewhat pedestrian, largely complied of perishable items like food and drink, items of clothing like scarves and dresses, symbolic or commemorative items like coins, medals and plaques as well as various works of art and books. 

According to the register, most of the items were under €150 in value. 

The parliament has been rocked by a graft scandal that broke last month involving MEPs allegedly taking cash bribes to defend Morocco and Qatar's interests.

Metsola has promised more transparency and accountability, and this week vowed to impose new rules to tackle foreign corruption.

A spokesperson for Metsola told Times of Malta that the gifts were received on behalf of the institution and not in her personal capacity and that, typically the gift register is disclosed internally within the parliament.

As EP president, the spokesperson said, Metsola had taken an unprecedented step in publishing the register in an effort to increase transparency in the parliament. 

As part of her reform, he added, Metsola is also seeking to make the publication of such a register compulsory.

"The EU Parliament president being the sole enforcer of ethics rules under the current system must be exemplary in her conduct," Alberto Alemanno, EU law professor at HEC Paris Business School, said on Twitter.

"Yet another story showing a pattern of misconducts making her culturally and politically unfit for the job of fixing Qatargate," he added.

Speaking to AFP, Nicholas Aiossa, of NGO Transparency International, welcomed Metsola's and other elected members' moves to reveal gifts and travel, but said they "speak to a broken system".

"The issue is that there are rarely sanctions given for not adhering to the rules," he told AFP. "We need ethical rules that are written down and not based on tradition."

Individuals caught up in the graft scandal include Greek socialist MEP, Eva Kaili, who was one of Metsola's vice presidents at the time of her arrest in December.

The measures Metsola announced on Monday include restricting parliamentary access for former MEPs, registering outside individuals who lobby, meet or speak at the parliament, a public MEPs' registry of gifts and travel received and punishment for breaches.

"The European Parliament would like to set the record straight regarding the article published in the Times of Malta on Thursday regarding President Metsola’s unprecedented step to publish the list of protocol gifts received by the Institution. 

No rules were broken - spokesperson 

In a reply, the EP spokesperson said this is the first time that a president has chosen to take such a step.

"No gifts have been kept by the president. No gifts have left the parliament’s premises. These are protocol gifts made to the institution. All gifts had been catalogued internally before the president chose to make them available for public scrutiny as she leads the parliament's reform process. No deadlines were missed. No rules were broken." 

The EP said the publication of the list, even if not required, is intended for Metsola to lead by positive example and will continue to do so.

Additional reporting by AFP