In 2018, the European Parliament staff initiated their own ‘MeToo’ movement to combat harassment, sexism, and abuse in the workplace. Despite increased visibility, Euronews research shows that only one out of the seven political groups has strengthened internal protocols for the next term. An anonymous survey conducted by the MeTooEP campaign group in 2023 revealed that almost half of respondents, around 550 parliament staff, reported experiencing psychological harassment at work, with 15.5% claiming to have been sexually harassed. However, official findings at the institution only found three MEPs guilty of harassing staff in the past five years.
While most political groups have confidential counsellors to handle harassment complaints, not all have implemented the same level of measures. The Greens/EFA group is the only one that updated its internal procedures for the new mandate. Other groups, including EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, the Left, and ID, have not introduced any reforms for the upcoming parliamentary term. Renew Europe and The Left are relying on mandatory anti-harassment training for all staff, while the centre-left S&D group has introduced internal rules covering prevention, protection, and sanctions since 2014. The ECR group did not respond to inquiries, and ID did not provide details on their mechanisms to combat workplace harassment.
The Parliament has its own infrastructure and mediation service to handle harassment between MEPs and their assistants, which has been strengthened in recent years. However, the 2023 ‘MeToo’ survey revealed that Parliament staff are still unaware of the anti-harassment policy. Nearly half of respondents had heard of the policy but were unsure about it. The MeToo campaigner expressed optimism that changes are happening, with more people speaking out against harassment and discussing boundaries. The Parliament has introduced new mandatory anti-harassment training for newly elected members, with around 45% of MEPs completing the course by April 2024.
The mandatory training consists of modules on office management and preventing conflict and harassment in the workplace, which every MEP must attend in their first six months in office. In addition, the Parliament’s mediation service will extend its coverage to all staff, showing progress in addressing workplace harassment. The MeToo campaigner noted that changes are still possible for the upcoming mandate as the parliamentary groups are being formed. She expressed hope that the European Parliament will continue to fight against harassment, sexism, and abuse over the next five years.
