EU's top court annuls Roberta Metsola's fine against former Liberal MEP over harassment allegations
The General Court has annulled the finding of harassment and the subsequent fine of €3,380 imposed on former Liberal MEP Monica Semedo by the European Parliament's President Roberta Metsola in 2023.
ADVERTISEMENT
The EU's top court on Wednesday annulled the finding of harassment and the sanction imposed by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on former MEP Monica Semedo (Luxembourg/Renew Europe/) on the grounds that rights of defence were not respected.
Following a complaint by a former parliamentary assistant, the European Parliament's advisory committee adopted a report in November 2002 concluding that the alleged acts constituted psychological harassment.
Metsola sent Semedo an anonymised version of the report the following month for her feedback - but the former Luxembourg MEP contested this report and unsuccessfully requested access to the entire file.
In April 2023, the head of the European Parliament sanctioned Semedo for the second time during the 2019-2024 mandate for psychological harassment, and imposed a fine of €3,380, despite Semedo strongly denying any wrongdoing.
The General Court has now ruled that a person accused of harassment is entitled to a summary of the statements of witnesses heard during the investigation.
The EU's top court also said that the summary of witness statements sent to Semedo "did not reflect the substance of the testimony given during the investigation" and that such decisions were flawed by irregularities affecting Semedo's rights of defence.
The Court recalled that the failure of the Committee or the President of the Parliament to disclose documents in the file on which the authorities relied "inevitably affects" the legality of the measures adopted.
In January 2021, the Luxembourg politician was also suspended for 15 days following allegations of psychological harassment by three parliamentary assistants.
Following the decision, she resigned from Prime Minister Xavier Bettel's Democratic Party but remained an independent MEP in the parliament's Liberal group.
The European Parliament will have up to two months to decide whether to appeal the decision to the Court of Justice.
"The European Parliament took note of the ruling and is looking into it," its press service said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Macron says France will ban social media for under-15s if EU does not
President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 within "a few months" if this is not done at a European level. "We must ban social media for those under 15," Macron told the public television channel France 2 after a school staff member was stabbed by a 14-year-old student at the entrance to a secondary school in Nogent. "I'm giving us a few months to get the European mobilisation going. start doing it in France. We can't wait," he said. A pupil fatally stabbed a school staff member during a routine bag check at the middle school in eastern France, officials said. The teenager was arrested at the scene. A police officer assisting with the bag checks sustained minor injuries while apprehending the suspect, who used the same knife in both attacks, according to the National Gendarmerie. It's not immediately clear whether the attack was linked to anything the student had seen on social media, or why local media had made the link. This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates. The EU is planning to borrow €150 billion on the financial markets for its new lending instrument Security Action for Europe (SAFE). It is one of the pillars of the Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to mobilise €800 billion for defence investment by the end of the decade. "Russia's war in Ukraine and the EU's attempt to support Kyiv really highlighted the dependencies and shortcomings of the EU's defence industrial base and how ill-prepared we were in the event of being forced into a conventional war," said Alice Tidey, a Euronews reporter who covered the announcement. "SAFE is about firing up European weapons manufacturing lines by getting member states to buy strategically and together so that the industry becomes less fragmented and quicker to produce, and our armies, more crucially, become more interoperable. And of course, also, it's about putting prices down," she added. The investments should boost production and procurement of air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, as well as other crucial military equipment to deal with security threats, including critical infrastructure protection and cyber, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare. "It gives countries the possibility to find money to buy military equipment. It's a beginning and I think it's very good sign," said German MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann from the Renew group. The parliamentarian who chairs the European Parliament's Security and Defense Committee also highlighted that some of the technology could have dual use and be useful for civilian purposes. Euronews spoke to residents in Rome and opinions were divided. 'We need to defend ourselves and the threat is at our doorstep,' said one . 'They shouldn't increase spending for a war that won't happen. This is not our war,' said another resident in the Italian capital, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Berlin, the same divisions were evident: 'If the aim is to start another arms race, then I'm not in favour,' said one resident of the German city. 'I'm all for a joint European defence effort, but without going into debt,' said another. Governments will have to repay over 45 years and they can also activate the Stability and Growth Pact's National Escape Clause, which stipulates that budget deficits cannot exceed 3% of GDP. Under SAFE, governments can exceed this figure by 1.5% per year, provided that the amount is spent solely on defence. More than half of member states have requested activation from the European Commission. To receive loans, governments must meet certain conditions: 65% of the value of each piece of military equipment must be produced in one of the 27 EU member states, Ukraine and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The remaining 35% can also come from any third country in the world. The common procurement can include EU candidate countries, such as the Western Balkans, and third countries with bilateral security and defence partnerships, such as Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. However, the EU remains highly dependent on weapons purchased from the US and the increased investment could be a clear indication of the bloc's commitment to becoming more autonomous, something that President Donald Trump has demanded in the framework of NATO. "I'm optimistic that the President of the US will realise what we are now starting to do," said Strack-Zimmermann. The EU is planning to raise more funds, with the European Commission proposing to use part of the Cohesion Funds, which are intended for regional development. The European Investment Bank will also try to mobilise private funds for this area for the first time. Watch the video here! Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva Content production: Pilar Montero López Video production: Zacharia Vigneron Graphism: Loredana Dumitru Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Is debt justified to increase defence investments?
President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 within "a few months" if this is not done at a European level. "We must ban social media for those under 15," Macron told the public television channel France 2 after a school staff member was stabbed by a 14-year-old student at the entrance to a secondary school in Nogent. "I'm giving us a few months to get the European mobilisation going. start doing it in France. We can't wait," he said. A pupil fatally stabbed a school staff member during a routine bag check at the middle school in eastern France, officials said. The teenager was arrested at the scene. A police officer assisting with the bag checks sustained minor injuries while apprehending the suspect, who used the same knife in both attacks, according to the National Gendarmerie. It's not immediately clear whether the attack was linked to anything the student had seen on social media, or why local media had made the link. This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates. The EU is planning to borrow €150 billion on the financial markets for its new lending instrument Security Action for Europe (SAFE). It is one of the pillars of the Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to mobilise €800 billion for defence investment by the end of the decade. "Russia's war in Ukraine and the EU's attempt to support Kyiv really highlighted the dependencies and shortcomings of the EU's defence industrial base and how ill-prepared we were in the event of being forced into a conventional war," said Alice Tidey, a Euronews reporter who covered the announcement. "SAFE is about firing up European weapons manufacturing lines by getting member states to buy strategically and together so that the industry becomes less fragmented and quicker to produce, and our armies, more crucially, become more interoperable. And of course, also, it's about putting prices down," she added. The investments should boost production and procurement of air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, as well as other crucial military equipment to deal with security threats, including critical infrastructure protection and cyber, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare. "It gives countries the possibility to find money to buy military equipment. It's a beginning and I think it's very good sign," said German MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann from the Renew group. The parliamentarian who chairs the European Parliament's Security and Defense Committee also highlighted that some of the technology could have dual use and be useful for civilian purposes. Euronews spoke to residents in Rome and opinions were divided. 'We need to defend ourselves and the threat is at our doorstep,' said one . 'They shouldn't increase spending for a war that won't happen. This is not our war,' said another resident in the Italian capital, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Berlin, the same divisions were evident: 'If the aim is to start another arms race, then I'm not in favour,' said one resident of the German city. 'I'm all for a joint European defence effort, but without going into debt,' said another. Governments will have to repay over 45 years and they can also activate the Stability and Growth Pact's National Escape Clause, which stipulates that budget deficits cannot exceed 3% of GDP. Under SAFE, governments can exceed this figure by 1.5% per year, provided that the amount is spent solely on defence. More than half of member states have requested activation from the European Commission. To receive loans, governments must meet certain conditions: 65% of the value of each piece of military equipment must be produced in one of the 27 EU member states, Ukraine and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The remaining 35% can also come from any third country in the world. The common procurement can include EU candidate countries, such as the Western Balkans, and third countries with bilateral security and defence partnerships, such as Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. However, the EU remains highly dependent on weapons purchased from the US and the increased investment could be a clear indication of the bloc's commitment to becoming more autonomous, something that President Donald Trump has demanded in the framework of NATO. "I'm optimistic that the President of the US will realise what we are now starting to do," said Strack-Zimmermann. The EU is planning to raise more funds, with the European Commission proposing to use part of the Cohesion Funds, which are intended for regional development. The European Investment Bank will also try to mobilise private funds for this area for the first time. Watch the video here! Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva Content production: Pilar Montero López Video production: Zacharia Vigneron Graphism: Loredana Dumitru Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones A second group of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war were returned home on Tuesday as part of a deal made during direct talks in Istanbul on 2 June. The exchange began on Monday for soldiers aged between 18-25, focusing on seriously wounded and sick Ukrainian service personnel, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram, without specifying the exact number. Among them were soldiers captured over three years ago in the battle for Mariupol, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. All of those freed had severe injuries and illnesses, including amputated limbs and vision problems, it said. Amina Ivanchenko was reunited Monday with her husband, a POW for 18 months, in the initial release. She said was grateful to Ukrainian officials for supporting her. "My struggle was much easier thanks to them. Our country will definitely return everyone. Glory to Ukraine! Thank you!" Anastasia Nahorna waited in the Chernyhiv region to see if her husband, who has been missing for eight months, was among those being released in the latest swap. "This pain is more unbearable every day," she said. "I really want to hear some news, because since the moment of his disappearance, unfortunately, there has been no information. Is he alive? or maybe in captivity? Has someone seen him?" Russia's Defence Ministry said it had also received a second group of released soldiers as part of the deal. The Russian servicemen arrived on the territory of Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical assistance, the ministry said in a statement, without specifying the number of exchanged soldiers. All servicemen will be transported to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation, the statement added. A similar exchange was announced for the bodies of fallen soldiers held by both sides, although no schedule has been released. Two recent rounds of direct peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul have yielded no significant breakthroughs beyond pledges to swap prisoners as well as thousands of their dead and seriously wounded troops.
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
EU removes UAE from 'high-risk' money-laundering list, adds Monaco
The European Union on Tuesday, June 10, announced the removal of the United Arab Emirates from its money-laundering "high-risk" list but added Monaco alongside nine other jurisdictions. The European Commission said it added Algeria, Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela, along with Monaco, to the list of countries subject to extra monitoring of their money laundering controls. In addition to the UAE, it removed Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal and Uganda. The moves come after a money-laundering watchdog said in February it had removed the Philippines from its list of countries that face increased monitoring, while adding Laos and Nepal. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a Paris-based organization that reviews efforts by more than 200 countries and jurisdictions to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing, compiles a "grey list" of nations that are subject to increased monitoring of financial transactions. Monaco has been included on the FATF list since mid-2024, along with EU member states Bulgaria and Croatia. "The commission has now presented an update to the EU list which reiterates our strong commitment to aligning with international standards, particularly those set by the FATF," the EU's commissioner for financial services, Maria Luis Albuquerque, said. The EU list will now be scrutinized by the European Parliament and member states and will enter into force within one month if there are no objections, the commission said. In a statement, Monaco's government said it had "taken note of this expected update, which would lead to Monaco being placed on the EU's list, unless the European Parliament or the Council of the EU decides otherwise." It also stressed its commitment to take the necessary steps to be removed from the FATF's grey list "in the short term."
