Luxembourgish lawmaker Monica Semedo (Renew) has been sanctioned again over harassment allegations after a former assistant of Semedo accused her of bullying.
“Once again, the confidential procedures of the European Parliament, which are established to protect both sides, have not been respected,” Semedo told RTL.
On Tuesday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola decided to exclude Semedo from the Parliament for ten days, a decision which will lead to the suspension of her daily allowance, the equivalent of about €3,380.
The decision was taken following the conclusions of the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints between Accredited Parliamentary Assistants and Members of the European Parliament and its prevention at the workplace.
It is the second time the MEP has been sanctioned over the mistreatment of her staff, following a first sentence in 2021. At the time, three staff members accused her of bullying, which resulted in a two-week suspension.
After the decision, she resigned from the Democratic Party (DP), the party of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, but did not give up her mandate in the European Parliament.
The lawmaker will be able to appeal the decision imposed by the Parliament.
(Luka Krauss| EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
