BRUSSELS ― The European Parliament is to take steps to shield lawmakers from being named by Belgian police publicly during criminal investigations following criticism their reputations are being dragged through the mud for no reason.

After several high-profile probes that MEPs say have damaged the standing of the bloc’s institutions, Parliament President Roberta Metsola has sparked a revamp of the rules so that Belgium and other national authorities must pass a higher bar when requesting immunity waivers. They will have to provide more information ― notably the allegations they are facing ― before the Parliament can take up an immunity-waiver request for consideration.  

“We will act where there is conjecture,” Metsola told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. “We will stand up for MEPs and the dignity of the institution. I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis.”

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 The request was withdrawn shortly afterwards.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.”