One of the most egregious recent examples saw MEP Giusi Princi named in Parliament because Belgian authorities wanted immunity to be lifted so that she could be investigated over allegations of corruption connected to Chinese tech firm Huawei. The request was withdrawn shortly afterwards.
“The Parliament, at several levels, is keen to convey the message to Belgian authorities that they need to act up and be more professional,” said a high-ranking Parliament official, granted anonymity to speak about sensitive matters. “Their mistakes and carelessness can extremely damage the reputation of members and EU institutions.”
Under the plans, which Metsola conveyed to political group leaders, she could ask the requesting authorities to provide a minimum of information before a public announcement is made on the immunity-waiver requests received. Currently, any request must be announced in the full plenary session of Parliament no matter its content.
Lawmakers in the Parliament also point to Belgium’s inability to convict anyone connected to the Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal which broke out in 2022.
The judge leading the case, Michel Claise, resigned in June 2023 over accusations of conflict of interest, and the defendants have challenged the legality of the proceedings, which the courts are currently examining, according to a spokesperson for the Belgian prosecutor.
“If proceedings begin soon and convictions follow, then the process has worked,” said Green MEP Daniel Freund. “But if no one is convicted, if key evidence is ruled inadmissible, or if procedural errors derail the case, then we do have a serious problem.”