Brussels, 21/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - Following pressure from MEPs (see EUROPE 10578), participation by Dominique Strauss-Khan at a conference on the financial crisis, at the European Parliament, has been cancelled. The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, received several demands requesting that he use his authority to prevent the former head of the IMF coming to the European institution. At the heart of a number of high-profile sex scandals, Strauss-Khan is currently facing proceedings in the law courts in France and the US. Schulz contacted the organisers of the conference which is to take place on 27 March on the subject of “the lessons to learn from the global economic crisis” in an effort to find a solution. A few hours later the name of the French political figure was no longer included in the programme. The author of one particularly scathing letter, Véronique De Keyser (S&D, Belgium), said that the affair was now closed. A number of French MEPs from the EPP Group said more and Elisabeth Morin-Chartier, Constance Le Grip and Michèle Striffler declared that the “presumption of innocence and the freedom of expression” should be respected “but the European Parliament should not be used as a platform for an exercise in restoring one's image!” They also considered that “the cancellation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's visit is a victory for all women parliamentarians from all the different political persuasions”. (MD/transl.fl)