On Wednesday 3 April, the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs approved changes to the European Parliament’s internal rules to combat conflicts in the workplace and promote good office management, according to a European Parliament press release.
The report, tabled by Gabriele Bischoff (S&D, German) and approved by 15 votes to 9 (no abstentions), aims to strengthen Parliament’s rules on preventing conflict and harassment in the workplace and to promote good office management by introducing compulsory specialist training for MEPs.
Members who have not completed this training within the first 6 months of their mandate (except in exceptional cases or if they have already done so) will be subject to sanctions and will not be able to be elected as holders of parliamentary office, for example, to the Bureau of Parliament or as committee chair, vice-chair, quaestor, etc., to be appointed as rapporteurs, to take part in an official delegation or in interinstitutional negotiations.
The Conference of Presidents may, by a three-fifths majority including at least three groups, submit to plenary a proposal for the dismissal of any mandate-holder who has not completed the training course. A double majority threshold would apply to such a vote: two-thirds of the votes cast and a majority of all MEPs. The same procedure will also apply to rapporteurs, in which case the final decision will be made by the relevant committee, adds the press release.
European Parliament leaders mandated the committee to strengthen the institution’s anti-harassment rules in January 2023, but procedural delays championed by the Conservatives and far right have meant that the rule change will be among the last votes during this term, the S&D group commented in a statement.
Mandatory training was called for by the European Parliament in a resolution on ‘MeToo and harassment’ in December 2021, the group adds.
During this legislature, 319 MPs (45%) took part in this training.
Link to text: https://aeur.eu/f/blh (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)