editorial comment When politicians take it, it's not a problem. Ask Dubya!

Significant amounts of cocaine have been found in the European parliament, German undercover reporters claim.
Armed with wet wipes, reporters from the television station Sat 1 polished toilet roll dispensers, door handles and other areas in the Brussels building. Almost all the 46 swabs they took were contaminated with cocaine, with 10 samples containing "significant amounts" of the class A drug.

The European parliament has denied a problem of cocaine use among members and staff. But a scientist who analysed the swabs last night urged a thorough inquiry.

Five years ago, the same television station tested the German parliament, where a huge scandal erupted after cocaine in amounts of one or two micrograms was discovered.
In the European parliament, however, 10 of the swabs were smeared with between 20 and 30 micrograms.

Professor Fritz Sorgel of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg told the Guardian: "I was surprised to find such significant quantities on the swabs. This proves substantial amounts of cocaine are being used in the European parliament building.

"The drugs did not fly through the window and were not found in all areas of the building. This is not something which should be overlooked.

"It needs to be investigated."

So far, nobody has dared to suggest that European politicians could be the culprits.

Ulrich Meyer, producer of the Sat 1 show AKTE 05, said: "We understand that the European parliament building is open to all members of the public. We do not wish to point our fingers at any individuals or professional groups."

But he added that cocaine consumption was a larger problem than many politicians were willing to believe.

A European parliament spokeswoman, Marjory van den Broeke, dismissed the findings, claiming that traces of cocaine could be found in most public buildings. "It is not a problem at all," she said.

Prof Sorgel recently tested for traces of cocaine at five German secondary schools. Insignificant amounts of the drug were found at only two of the sites. "This," he said, "proves that cocaine is not everywhere in society."

When AKTE's reporters took samples from toilets in the German parliament, traces of cocaine were found in 22 of the 28 wipes.

The Berlin judiciary refused to conduct an investigation, claiming that the parliament was open to the public, and because there was no reason to suspect anybody in particular.

Sat 1's reporters carried out the tests at the Strasbourg site without the consent or knowledge of staff at the European parliament.

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