Political ethics and its potential interference with the right to privacy

A common observation can be made in contemporary democracies: public institutions are experiencing a decay of trust, which is affecting the concerns of the population about politicians. In order to deal with this phenomenon, governments have adopted a body of “political ethics rules” which reflects an increased will to put the politician under scrutiny from the way he exercises his mandate to his personal behavior.
First, we will study the concept of political ethics. It has been developed in the United States (and then in the United Kingdom) since the late 1960s and have gradually reached continental Europe since the beginning of the 21st century.
In a second step, we offer to analyse a potential obstacle to the legalization of political morality. It touches upon the tight balance to reach between the extension of the transparency requirement and the right to privacy of Members of Parliaments. This balance will be addressed in the light of national and international case law.