Cannabis and a corruption probe: MEP Maria Arena is back in Qatargate spotlight

BRUSSELS — In December 2019, MEP Maria Arena hosted an event about cannabis in the European Parliament.

Her son, an executive in the cannabis trade association ACTIVE, organized the panel discussion. The group celebrated it as the “first major cannabis event at the EU Parliament.”

It’s the latest revelation about how interest groups interact with the European Parliament — in ways legal and allegedly criminal — in the wake of the Qatargate corruption scandal.

While the Qatargate accusations, involving alleged bribes going from Qatari and Moroccan interests to MEPs, would fall solidly in the criminal category if proven, the 2019 event fits into what watchdogs say is a more widespread category — legal, but ethically fraught.

Arena, of the Socialists & Democrats group, has never been interrogated or charged in the Qatargate probe, but she had close professional ties with ex-MEP and alleged Qatargate ringleader Pier Antonio Panzeri. She stepped down as head of the Parliament’s human rights subcommittee after a POLITICO investigation found she had not disclosed travel paid for by Qatar, and an arrest warrant mentioned her as being part of a group of MEPs who would allegedly do Panzeri’s bidding.

“I proclaim loud and clear that I am not implicated in any way in this affair,” Arena wrote in the statement when she stepped down from the subcommittee.

Yet now, once again, her ties to the case are drawing scrutiny.

The Belgian judge heading the Qatargate probe, Michel Claise, recused himself on Monday over conflicts of interest. The reason? His son, Nicolas Claise, co-owns a cannabis company with Arena’s son, Ugo Lemaire.

That company is called BRC & Co and it runs Buddy Belgium, a platform that bills itself as “The first CBD hub of Europe.” An email to a general inbox at Buddy Belgium did not receive a reply.

ACTIVE, a trade association for CBD producers, sponsored the December 2019 event, “Cannabis Renaissance: Plant, Policy, People & Product,” with its executive director moderating the panel. The event drew a broad and credible array of MEPs, as well as representatives from the EU’s agency for illicit drugs.

Arena’s role as the main host of the event has raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest, given that her son, Lemaire, is named as the president of ACTIVE Benelux on the association’s website. He was also listed as the official event organizer on the ticketing page.

“Medicinal cannabis is a public health topic that has been an interest of mine for a long time,” Arena said in an email to POLITICO Wednesday.

Arena did add that the event “was not linked to any vote or legislative file currently in the work in the European parliament.”

It’s unclear whether Arena made any effort to disclose her family ties to the organizer, and her response to POLITICO did not directly address her son’s role or whether she disclosed it at the time. Arena did not reply to multiple follow-up messages asking if it represented a conflict of interest.

Under the Parliament’s rules, Arena had no obligation to disclose her family ties to the event, according to Paul Varakas, chief of the Society of European Affairs Professionals, a lobbyist association. Under the Parliament’s Code of Conduct, disclosing those types of connections is only mandatory before speaking or voting during official proceedings such as plenary sessions or committees, or if the MEP is leading on a legislative file, he explained. The rules do not apply to side events, like the cannabis discussion in 2019.

Nonetheless, Varakas stressed, “MEPs need to take necessary steps to address conflicts of interest (personal interest that could improperly influence the performance of their duties).”

He added: “Conflicts of interest have no part to play in the EU decision-making process. This is true for lobbyists and politicians alike.”

In an undated interview with medicinal cannabis producer Bedrocan, Arena called the event “a real success for us.” The end goal, she added, would be “a new EU legal framework” on the use and marketing of cannabinoid medicinal products.

Lemaire could not be reached for comment, and emails sent to addresses listed on ACTIVE’s website, including for Lemaire, bounced back. Efforts to reach other listed ACTIVE officials through social media and other companies affiliated with the group did not receive replies.

Arena has forcefully contended that she has acted purely based on her convictions. Yet in the scandal’s wake, she’s come under fire for lax adherence to rules intended to protect the integrity of Parliament’s deliberations.

Arena and others hosted events with Panzeri’s NGO, Fight Impunity, even though it was not listed in the EU’s Transparency Register, as is required for access to the Parliament’s premises. In January, Arena blamed her secretary for failing to declare free flights and accommodation bankrolled by Doha.

Colleagues, such as German Green MEP Hannah Neumann, have also expressed concern in hindsight about Arena’s motives for hosting hearings that gave Qatari officials a platform to defend their human rights record ahead of hosting the World Cup, while Doha’s geopolitical rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were targeted for special criticism.

Arena said she’s still working on medicinal cannabis issues. Last year, she co-signed a parliamentary question to the European Commission asking the EU’s executive: “How is the Commission planning to address the regulatory, financial and social hurdles affecting access to cannabis-based medicines?”

Gian Volpicelli, Pieter Haeck, Ashleigh Furlong and Eddy Wax contributed reporting.