Donations received by a Swedish MEP of Romanian origin, investigated by the EU Ombudsman

The donations received by the Swedish MEP of Romanian origin, Alice Teodorescu Mawe, have come to the attention of the European Ombudsman (People's Advocate in the EU), who opened an investigation after the European Parliament refused to publish documents regarding the financial support she received from a secret donor, according to an article published yesterday by the website Follow the Money.

According to the cited source, the Swedish MEP, born in Bucharest and member of the European People's Party, officially declared that she receives "permanent financial support from a private donor, in connection with personal security measures". The identity of the financier, the amount of the aid and its nature - person, company or organization - were not disclosed. Alice Teodorescu Mawe claims, according to Follow the Money, that she complied with the rules of the European Parliament and that her party checked for possible conflicts of interest. She refused to provide details, arguing that disclosing them would endanger her family.

The controversy intensified after the leadership of the Swedish Christian Democratic Party claimed that the European Parliament had previously approved both the financial arrangement and the wording used in the declaration of interests. The European institution has not made public the documents showing what it checked and approved.

The Ombudsman's investigation concerns the Parliament's refusal to disclose correspondence between the MEP's office and the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members. The Parliament invoked the protection of personal data and the confidentiality of ethical advice procedures.

The cited source also shows that this case is sensitive in light of the MEP's political profile. The Times of Israel described her as "Israel's most vocal European ally", due to her strong positions in support of the Israeli state and against anti-Semitism. The Swedish press also reported on her investments in the defense companies Saab, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt, as well as meetings with representatives of the Palantir company.

However, there is no public evidence that the secret donor has any links to Israel, the defense industry or the companies in question.

The investigation puts the European Parliament in an awkward position: the institution must explain whether protecting the security of an MEP also justifies concealing the identity of the person paying for his or her protection. The Ombudsman's recommendations are not binding, but are usually followed by the European institutions.

We note that this scandal broke out a week before the parliamentary elections in Sweden, which will take place on September 13th and where one of the candidates is Alice Teodorescu Mawe, who announced that, if elected to the Stockholm Legislature, she would resign from the European Parliament.