The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has promised to "shut down everything" in response to the scandal related to allegations that Qatar paid money to influence lawmakers, writes the Financial Times.
Metsola said rules on informal groups and funding needed to be reviewed to ensure parliament was "not for sale".
"There are... too many informal groups that are potentially more affected. Too many organizations whose funding transparency is not understood. We will all cover and make sure... that everything is in place so that the parliament is not sold out," - she said on Thursday.
Metsola said the scandal, which saw Belgian police search politicians' homes and confiscate more than €1m in cash, was "a blow to democracy and a blow to everything we've worked for for years". "It takes years to build trust, but only a moment to destroy it," she said.
"There will be no impunity, no sweeping under the carpet, no business as usual," added Metsola. "I will do everything in my power, together with my colleagues, to restore the position of the house of democracy."
Three of the four suspects arrested, including Eva Kylie, who was vice-president of the European Parliament before the scandal broke, remain in custody, while the fourth has been released with an electronic bracelet, Belgium's federal prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Brussels investigators suspect that Qatar used money and gifts to influence economic and political decisions in the European Parliament. Searches were conducted and more than 1.5 million euros of suspicious origin were found.
