The Left group has today sent a letter to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, outlining its concerns about the existence of black lists within the Parliament for MEPs who have criticised human rights abuses by the Israeli government. It follows this week’s revelations from Spanish media El Diario. 

In the letter the Left in the European Parliament:

condemns the establishment of such lists as they go against established rules of parliamentary democracy and interfere with the full respect for the status of the members of the European Parliament and their independence, conferred in the Electoral Act of 1976;

asks President Metsola for further clarification about the extent of this list and the reasoning and consequences tied to the inclusion of Left MEPs; 

asks President Metsola about the extent of her direct knowledge of this list; 

calls on the President to take immediate action with the Information Analysis and Security Unit to prevent the establishment of such security lists in the future; and to take appropriate action in the regards to the individuals concerned;

highlights that the revelations come in the worrying context of the Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Palestine (DPAL), Left MEP Manu Pineda, being prevented by Israeli authorities from participating in an official Parliamentary visit to Palestine for the second time; and

asks President Metsola to explain what action has taken with regard to the denial of entry to MEPs by the Israeli authorities.

Letter: Left demands investigation into targeting of MEPs