BRUSSELS: European parliament members want to check whether Qatar unduly influenced a key air transport deal that grants Qatar Airways unlimited access to the European Union (EU) market and is reviewing ways to slam the brakes on the lucrative agreement.
Since Friday, European Union has been convulsed by allegations that the Gulf emirate influenced members of the European Parliament. Former European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili is the biggest name to be arrested in the graft case.
Three other people have also been jailed over the accusations. Over €1.5 million of suspected payments have been recovered so far. The European Parliament’s transport committee Chair, Karima Delli, who negotiated the deal, has raised the alarm in an e-mail.

A French member of the European Parliament, Karima Delli, from the Greens group, alarmed that Qatar may have interfered in Parliament’s internal discussions on the deal.
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Delli said that the transport committee would work with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola’s internal probes by declassifying statements and documents “related to Qatar, if they are asked for.”
In terms of potentially not approving the agreement, which was concluded last year, Delli added that the transport committee should seek suggestions from the European Commission “to quickly inform us about the ongoing ratification process of the deal between the European Union and Qatar Air and to inform us when the consent procedure will start.”

The European airlines heavily criticized the Qatar-EU aviation negotiations at the time, which feared unfair competition from Qatar Airways’ flight connections to destinations.
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The agreement replaced a series of bilateral agreements and was sold by its supporters to ensure fair competition and common labor and social standards. However, it was condemned by parts of the European aviation sector.