MEPs sanctioned for skipping anti-harassment training

The coaching was arrange in April 2024 within the wake of the #MeToo motion, after a survey carried out by an in-house marketing campaign group referred to as MeTooEP discovered 16 p.c of respondents had confronted sexual harassment, and after a number of information stories that harassment instances usually went underreported for concern of repercussions.

POLITICO reviewed the declaration pages of all MEPs on Feb. 18 and recognized those that didn’t have a certificates exhibiting that that they had taken the course. Simply three MEPs didn’t have the certificates.

All three took up their roles in July 2024, which implies that they had till early 2025 to complete the coaching.

Garraud and Steger didn’t reply to requests for remark. A spokesperson for the Patriots for Europe group didn’t reply to a request for remark.

“Domenico Lucano acquired a previous derogation for this coaching as a result of sickness and is at the moment ready for the following alternative for it to be provided in Italian,” stated The Left group spokesperson, Tom Shannon. “He has already accomplished 4 out of 5 hours of the course and has acknowledged his intention to finish the ultimate hour as quickly as potential and that is additionally the Left group’s expectation.”

One in every of Lucano’s assistants stated: “After all he did the course, however he didn’t end the final hour, as he needed to run to a political assembly that day.” The assistant added they have been ready for a timeslot “to complete the hour that he must do, that’s why it in all probability seems like he didn’t do it.”

The Parliament’s press service stated it can’t touch upon particular person instances.