Discrimination and antisemitism against a former EEAS official

16.5.2022

Question for written answer  E-001804/2022
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 138
Fulvio Martusciello (PPE)

After 24 years of service at the EU institutions, an official working for the European External Action Service (EEAS) was dismissed after a disciplinary inquiry that followed a security investigation.

Having suffered from antisemitic harassment and various forms of discrimination, the official, a Spanish citizen of Jewish descent, filed seven lawsuits against her former employer.

The EEAS – without providing any concrete evidence – accused the former official of absenteeism and poor performance, and illegally withheld part of her salary on the basis of further unsubstantiated claims that she had been spying for Mossad – claims that were subsequently dropped.

On 3 March, after five years of dispute, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled against the EEAS and ordered that the illegal pay cuts be reversed. However, two months later, the EEAS has still not executed the Court’s judgment and has refused to investigate the allegations made by the official, maintaining it has not found any form of discrimination or mismanagement.

What are the Vice-President / High Representative’s thoughts on these recent developments?