Brussels, 01/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - The NGO ALTER-EU launched a call on Tuesday 31 March for a stronger code of conduct at the European Parliament to avoid lobbying scandals, it says in a press release. At an event at the Parliament, ALTER-EU launched a call to MEPs to strengthen the ethics rules. “Four years after the 2011 'cash for amendments' scandal in the European Parliament, and three years after the adoption of the code of conduct for MEPs, it is high time for a review of the rules for MEPs to ensure that conflicts of interest and undue influence are avoided”, said Paul de Clerck, a member of the ALTER-EU steering committee. “A number of MEPs continue to work for companies or groups that directly lobby EU institutions. That is not in the spirit of the code and we urgently need a clear and specific ban on side jobs that lead to conflicts of interest”, he added. (Solenn Paulic)