site.btaEuropean Parliament Committee to Consider Lifting Nikola Minchev's Immunity Next Week

The European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs is set to hold a closed-door session next week to consider a request to lift the parliamentary immunity of four members of the European Parliament (MEPs), including Nikola Minchev from Bulgaria’s Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (Renew Europe).

The request was submitted by the Belgian authorities and is linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption involving the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Investigators are examining whether the company may have offered gifts or services to MEPs in an attempt to influence EU policy in its favor.

The investigation first came to public attention on March 13, and on May 17, Minchev confirmed that Belgian prosecutors had formally requested the lifting of his immunity. At the time, he firmly denied any wrongdoing, stating, “I have no connection to any illegal activity.”

On May 21, the European Parliament officially opened the procedure for reviewing the immunity of the MEPs involved. A formal opinion from the Legal Affairs Committee is expected after the Parliament’s summer recess.

According to European Parliament rules, the lifting of an MEP’s immunity does not equate to a criminal conviction. Rather, it allows national judicial authorities to proceed with an investigation or legal proceedings. As MEPs are elected under national electoral laws, any decision on whether to terminate a convicted member’s mandate lies with the authorities of the respective EU member state.