Request for the waiver of the immunity of Udo Voigt

The Committee on Legal Affairs unanimously adopted the report by Tadeusz ZWIEFKA (EPP, PL) in which it recommended the European Parliament to waive the immunity of Udo VOIGT (NI, DE).

Members recalled that the presiding judge at the Kammergericht of Berlin submitted a request for waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Udo Voigt in connection with legal action concerning an alleged offence.

Udo Voigt is accused of incitement and collective insults in a publication issued by the National Democratic Party at the time of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, for which he was responsible as the party chair.

Given that the charges are clearly unrelated to Udo Voigt’s position as a Member of the European Parliament and arise from his position as Chair of the National Democratic Party, Members considered that the alleged actions do not relate to opinions expressed or votes cast by the Member of the European Parliament in the performance of his duties within the meaning of Article 8 of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, bearing in mind also that the accusation relates to actions carried out in 2006, which is well before Udo Voigt was elected to the European Parliament in 2014.

There can be no suspicion of any attempt to obstruct the parliamentary work of Udo Voigt (fumus persecutionis) behind the proceedings, as they were initiated a number of years before he assumed his seat in the European Parliament.

Therefore, the committee recommended the European Parliament to waive the parliamentary immunity of Udo Voigt.