The European Parliament has denied taking no action to combat harassment, in an internal newsletter circulated on June 7.
The rebuttal follows a series of high-profile cases alleging staff abuse, and an extensive exposé published by Politico earlier this month.
The EP’s electronic newsletter, called The Newshound, was emailed to all EP staff on Wednesday.
In the opening paragraph, both the Politico article and a recent internal EP report are cited. Newshound’s denial reads: “There has been an assertion that ‘nothing is being done to help victims of harassment’ – which is wrong.”
It then outlines methods available to EP staff wishing to raise concerns over alleged harassment, whether sexual or psychological. EP officials confirmed the processes referred to are the current ones, with the last major changes to the system being made in 2018.
Those methods involve two harassment committees, one for cases between EP staffers, and another for cases between EP staff and MEPs, the newsletter said. It also cited access to a network of confidential counsellors, and the EP’s in-house social workers and psychologists.
However, several EP staffers who spoke to Politico claimed that the current processes designed to address alleged harassment are ineffectual, adding that the Parliament’s efforts to bring in new measures and reforms reflect this.
A long-time worker in the EP, speaking to Brussels Signal on condition of anonymity, described a culture within the EP where power is all and the wellbeing of staff counts for little.
The source cited Elmar Brok, a powerful former German MEP from the CDU party, who reportedly berated staff verbally. The Brussels Signal source said, in that case, little was done because Brok was “simply too powerful, he was seen as Merkel’s right-hand man. What was anyone going to do?”
Our source went on to claim that what was termed the ‘extreme power dynamic of the EP’ is in-built. “Think of the scenario,” the source said, illustrating what was described as a situation where many young people, especially women, who enlist with Parliament are left at the mercy of MEPs who “hold the keys of the future employment”.
“What else is going to happen?,” our source said.
Such an abusive power dynamic is apparently so endemic that it even undermines the safeguards meant to prevent harassment. One unnamed EP assistant told Politico that, upon raising her concerns, virtually all the services, counsellors and psychologists available simply advised her to quit.
At the start of the month, MEPs backed a motion to tackle the issue, including a reform proposed by the EP intended to address concerns over the low number of members who attend anti-harassment courses, with just 295 out of 705 MEPs having done so to date.
That reform would include a “public list on the Parliament’s website with members that have completed the training and those who have not”, the motion suggested, in what seems an effort to pressure more members to attend such courses and improve behaviour generally.
When asked if the proposed reforms would make any difference regarding the EP’s allegedly toxic work environment, our source remained sceptical, saying simply: “Once you’re an MEP you do as you like, let’s not kid ourselves.”
