The key facts
- The review was initiated by EP President Roberta Metsola and is being conducted by the advisory committee on the code of conduct
- The reason was contacts with representatives of Russia, including at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
- Both MEPs reject the claims; possible sanctions are a fine or temporary suspension from sessions
Conduct code review
The European Parliament has launched a review of two MEPs — Fernand Kartheiser of Luxembourg and Thomas Geisel of Germany. According to Life.ru, citing Berliner Zeitung, the review was initiated by EP President Roberta Metsola. The reason was the parliamentarians' informal contacts with representatives of Russia, including at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The circumstances of these meetings are being examined by the advisory committee on the code of conduct; the German newspaper cites European Parliament documents.
The MEPs' position
Both parliamentarians reject the claims. Geisel confirmed that he had repeatedly communicated with representatives of the State Duma, discussing, among other things, relations between Moscow and Brussels. According to him, he listed significant meetings in the transparency register and received no material support from third parties. He called the actions of the European Parliament leadership arbitrary and stated there were no grounds for claims over meetings with Russian colleagues.
Kartheiser: the proceedings are interference with mandates
Kartheiser insists that these were exclusively informal contacts and views the launched proceedings as interference with the exercise of his parliamentary mandate. As early as October 1, he criticized the European Union's course of isolating Russia, calling it mistaken and counterproductive. Earlier, as Life.ru reported, Kartheiser also criticized accusations of Russia's involvement in the drone incident in Leipzig, Germany, saying that such accusations require a convincing evidence base; the German authorities had earlier blamed Russia for the incident, which Russia rejected.
What the review could lead to
If the committee finds a violation of the code of conduct, the MEPs may face a fine or a temporary restriction on participation in sessions and other parliamentary activities. Sources have not yet reported on the committee's conclusions or possible decisions.
