Ryszard Czarnecki no longer Vice-President of Parliament

Mr Ryszard Czarnecki’s term of office as Vice-President of the European Parliament was ended on Wednesday, due to “serious misconduct”.

Mr Czarnecki (ECR, Poland) was obliged to give up the role of Vice-President after he described fellow MEP Róża Thun (EPP, PL) as a “shmaltsovnik” (a deeply offensive Polish term for someone who blackmailed Jews, or Poles protecting Jews, during the Nazi occupation).

The proposal to end his term of office, tabled by the Conference of Presidents (EP President plus political group leaders), required at least a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast, also constituting a majority of its Members (Rule 21).

It was passed by 447 votes to 196.

Parliament will now need to elect a new Vice-President, in accordance with Rules 17 and 20.

Mr Czarnecki will of course remain a Member of the European Parliament, but will no longer be a Vice-President or a member of the Bureau (President plus Vice-Presidents, the body that lays down Parliament’s working rules). He will neither represent Parliament on behalf of its President nor chair plenary debates.

The proposal by the Conference of Presidents was not aimed at Poland or the ECR political group, which is invited to put forward a new candidate for Vice-President