Sunday

2nd Apr 2023

EU parliament chief considering action against British MEP

  • Mr Buzek. The case is testing boundaries in the EU parliament (Photo: European Parliament)

EU parliament President Jerzy Buzek is considering disciplinary action against a British MEP who launched a verbal attack on EU council President Herman Van Rompuy.

Mr Buzek has, via email, summoned the British eurosceptic deputy, Nigel Farage, to discuss the incident in his office at 13.45 Brussels time on Tuesday (2 March).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"The president is currently exploring which measures are the most appropriate to deal with this issue," Mr Buzek's spokeswoman, Inga Rosinska, told EUobserver.

"He would like to see vivid political debate but he will not tolerate that this chamber is disrespected, that people in it are personally insulted or comments about anyone's personal appearance," she added.

Ms Rosinska's statement echoed the language of the parliament's rules of procedure, which say that: "Members' conduct shall be characterised by mutual respect ...[and] respect the dignity of parliament."

In "exceptionally serious" cases an MEP could face an official reprimand, a small fine, a few days' suspension of voting rights or removal from an official parliamentary function, such as membership of a committee.

Gawain Towler, a spokesman for Mr Farage's political faction, the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, said the Farage side was "surprised" by the severity of the backlash.

He said Mr Farage's remarks would be considered normal by the standards of the British House of Commons. "So he was a little bit rude - this is politics, get over it," he said. "The insults thrown around in the House of Commons are much more vicious."

Mr Farage during a plenary debate in the EU capital on Wednesday said Mr Van Rompuy has the charisma of a "damp rag" and looks like a "low-grade bank clerk." He also called him a "quiet assassin" of democracy and said that his native Belgium is a "non-country."

The feeling among parliamentary officials is that he crossed the line of good taste. But it would have been better if Mr Buzek, who chaired the debate, had simply switched off his microphone.

"I think I'm now public enemy number 1!" Mr Farage commented on his Twitter account on Thursday as he was leaving Brussels.

MEPs press EU Commission over Qatari-paid business-class flights

Pro-transparency MEPs are asking probing questions into possible conflict of interest between a senior EU commission official and Qatar, following revelations his business class trips were paid by Doha while negotiating a market access deal for its national airline.

Feature

Germany as a laboratory of 'communism vs capitalism'

A new exhibition at the Deutsches Historiches Musuem in Berlin unveils industrial photography of Germany's steel, coal, car, chemical and textile industries from the 1950s to 1980s — some in East Germany, some in West. But which was which?

Opinion

Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity

From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.

Opinion

Turkey's election — the Erdoğan vs Kılıçdaroğlu showdown

Turkey goes to the polls in May for both a new parliament and new president, after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided against a post-earthquake postponement. The parliamentary outcome is easy to predict — the presidential one less so.

Latest News

  1. EU to press South Korea on arming Ukraine
  2. Aid agencies clam up in Congo sex-for-work scandal
  3. Ukraine — what's been destroyed so far, and who pays?
  4. EU sending anti-coup mission to Moldova in May
  5. Firms will have to reveal and close gender pay-gap
  6. Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?
  7. Police violence in rural French water demos sparks protests
  8. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us