The Senate votes next week on an agreement with Qatar in full scandal over bribery in the Eurochamber

MADRID, 18 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Plenary Session of the Senate will vote this coming week on the Open Skies Agreement signed by the European Union with Qatar in full scandal over the payment of bribes by the Gulf country to MEPs

Congress already approved on November 3 the agreement signed between the EU and Qatar in October 2021, after which it sent it to the Senate, where it was received on November 14 and now its vote has been agreed in plenary this coming week.

The vote in the Senate should be a priori a mere procedure after the approval of the Lower House, since as a general rule the parliamentary groups tend to pronounce in the same sense that they have done in Congress.

However, the scandal dubbed 'Qatargate' has shaken the European political scene in recent days, targeting the Gulf country. Thus, the European Parliament has proceeded to dismiss one of its vice presidents, the Greek socialist Eva Kaili, for her involvement in receiving bribes from the emirate, in a case in which her partner is also involved, who he is a parliamentary adviser, and other personalities.

Likewise, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced on Monday that the European parliamentary position that defends the exemption of visas for tourists from Qatar will return to the competent commission for its review.

For now, socialist sources consulted by Europa Press have confirmed to Europa Press that the PSOE plans to vote in favor of the agreement. As for the PP, it already voted in favor in Congress. If the two large parliamentary groups maintain the direction of the vote, the agreement would go ahead without problems.

However, even if Spain approved the measure, it would not yet enter into force since it has to be ratified by the 27 Member States -only Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Greece and Lithuania have done so- and also by the Eurochamber itself.