Today, the S&D Group has guaranteed mandatory harassment training for all Members of the European Parliament in a change to the rules of procedure through the committee on constitutional affairs.
With S&D MEP Gaby Bischoff leading the rule changes, all MEPs will now follow mandatory training sessions within the first six months in office focusing on the prevention of conflict and harassment in the workplace, as well as effective office management. Parliament’s 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 has meant the rule change will be among the final votes during this mandate.
Mandatory training, which the parliament called for in a resolution on ‘MeToo and harassment’ in December 2021, will reduce the risk of harassment in the European Parliament. Failure to comply would give Parliament’s group leaders the power to trigger a plenary vote on the removal of an elected officeholder. Concretely, this could mean loss of office for a member elected as president, vice-president, quaestor, committee chair or vice-chair or chair or vice-chair of an interparliamentary delegation. In this legislative term, 319 members (45 per cent) have participated in such training.
S&D vice-president Gaby Bischoff, leading the negotiations for mandatory harassment training for the constitutional affairs committee, said:
“As a public institution as well as an employer, the European Parliament has a duty to set the gold standard in tackling harassment in the workplace. Clear rules and strong sanctions must be in place to support a zero-tolerance approach towards inappropriate behaviour. Prevention is key as it enables us to address issues proactively, before they escalate. Mandatory training reinforces our commitment to a workplace where the dignity of all is respected and protected.
“Despite a clear political mandate from the Parliament’s Bureau and a clear consensus reached within the working group, conservative and far-right political groups oppose the mandatory nature of this training. The European People’s Party, in particular, has resorted to delaying tactics, prolonging negotiations within the committee and casting doubt on the need to change the rules of procedure. Why EPP Members have consistently dragged their feet on mandatory training to prevent harassment in the European Parliament is for them to explain.”
