In an open letter obtained by EUROPE on Tuesday 17 October, more than seventy MEPs have called on European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi “to resign or for him to be relieved of his duties” because of his statements on 9 October on aid to the Palestinians.
On X (formerly Twitter), Mr Várhelyi announced the immediate suspension of this aid, before being disavowed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13268/2, 13267/1).
“Commissioner Várhelyi had no authority to unilaterally decide this, nor to officially communicate this on his social media accounts without this decision being taken with due process”, the MEPs criticised. They also condemn the fact that the Commissioner suggested that the funds might have been used to finance Hamas, when “according to sources within the Commission, these funds are among the most scrutinized”.
“In February 2023, many of us already called for Mr Várhelyi’s resignation after he had referred to MEPs as ‘idiots’ (see EUROPE 13122/21). We no longer condone the offences of Mr Várhelyi to the EU’s institutions and their democratic functioning”, warned the MEPs.
In their view, “Commissioner Várhelyi’s actions undermine not only the image of our institutions but the trust that EU citizens put in the Commission”.
To see the letter, go to https://aeur.eu/f/94f (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Thomas Mangin)