Over 70 Members of the European Parliament have criticized the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, and called for his resignation for falsely announcing the suspension of “all payments” to the Palestinian authorities.
Várhelyi’s unexpected move was made during the early days of the Israel-Hamas war. International media widely reported it as if the European Union had ceased all foreign aid, including humanitarian funds, at a time of increasing human suffering in the Gaza Strip. Várhelyi posted on X, “There can be no business as usual.”
Several hours after the post, the European Commission clarified that humanitarian funds would continue to flow. At the same time, an “urgent review” is conducted on the development assistance.
The Commission later admitted that Commissioner Várhelyi had acted on his initiative when he published the messages online without the agreement of President Ursula von der Leyen.
Eric Mamer, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, confirmed that consultations with any member of the College did not precede the announcement made by Várhelyi. Despite the backlash triggered by the PR fiasco, the executive decided that Várhelyi would not be officially reprimanded or have restricted access to social media.
On October 17, 73 MEPs from various political parties wrote a letter to President von der Leyen, expressing their disapproval of Commissioner Várhelyi’s actions and calling for his immediate removal.
The MEPs from the socialist, liberal, green, and left groups criticised Várhelyi for unilaterally suspending a social media account and communicating the decision on his personal social media accounts without proper due process. The MEPs also cited a previous controversial episode in which Várhelyi was heard making offensive remarks about lawmakers during a Q&A session.
The MEPs expressed their disapproval of Várhelyi’s behaviour and stated that they no longer condone the offenses of Mr. Várhelyi towards the EU’s institutions and democratic functioning. They urged Várhelyi to resign or be relieved of his duties.
The letter also emphasised the importance of the Commission being exemplary in its democratic functioning. It stated that Várhelyi’s actions undermine the image of the institutions and the trust that EU citizens have in the Commission. Only one European People’s Party (EPP) member, Maria Walsh, signed the letter.
Nathalie Loiseau, a prominent member of the Renaissance party who co-signed the letter, mentioned that Commissioner Várhelyi’s social media posts have confused about the bloc’s position at the worst possible time. According to Loiseau, concerns about how Várhelyi understands his mission and mandate have been raised. She stated that she often feels he is advancing the policy of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán rather than that of the European Union.
Barry Andrews posted on X that the Commissioner’s “comments recently, falsely stating that payments to Palestine would be immediately suspended, were directly aimed to undermine and were in breach of institutional rules. His actions have damaged the trust that EU citizens put in @EU_Commission”.
During a press conference, the Commission confirmed that President von der Leyen had complete confidence in the College and was focusing on the ongoing situation.
