Corruption in the EU
Now there\’s a surprise!
In a six-month investigation, The Sunday Times tape-recorded Fritz-Harald Wenig, a trade director, passing secrets to undercover reporters posing as lobbyists for a Chinese businessman seeking insider information.
Wenig discussed the possibility of payment or taking a lucrative job with the businessman. He said he would decide further once he had provided “results”.
He leaked the names of two Chinese companies likely to get special status if the EU imposes a protective tariff barrier against Chinese candle-makers. The information is potentially worth millions to those trading with these companies.
When government gets to make these sorts of decisions then of course there will be those who will take advantage of the money that can be made. The only way to stop such corruption is to remove the ability of government to make those decisions.
It\’s an underappreciated point that free trade reduces corruption, just yet another reason to support it.