The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) has taken contrasting decisions on parliamentary immunity.
It voted to protect German CSU MEP Angelika Niebler from a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) investigation into alleged misuse of staff funds, similar to a case that hit French National Rally (RN) de facto leader Marine Le Pen.
Yesterday’s votes mean Niebler is shielded from proceedings for the time being, unlike the Austrian MEP Harald Vilimsky, who saw the committee voting against upholding his immunity in a separate case.
Accusations against Niebler echo the high-profile “fake jobs” scandal that led to Le Pen’s conviction in France. She had to pay substantial fines and lost her eligibility for election in France
According to sources familiar with the EPPO request, Niebler is suspected of allegedly employing assistants to perform tasks unrelated to her parliamentary duties.
These allegedly included chauffeuring her between Munich, Brussels and Strasbourg, as well as handling private, non-official business appointments and personal chores.
In one case an assistant reportedly allegedly worked to support for her tasks as an honorary professor instead of within the European political hemisphere.
Another case reportedly involved allegedly hiring an assistant in Germany, funded by European Parliament allowances, to work for a former MEP colleague.
European Union rules strictly limit assistant funds to serve directly in support of an MEP’s parliamentary activities.
JURI has examined the situation and recommended against waiving Niebler’s immunity.
Niebler, who has been an MEP since 1999 and co-chairs the powerful Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) delegation alongside Daniel Caspary, appeared before the committee to respond to the allegations. She has pledged full co-operation with the investigation.
Niebler is a senior figure in the European People’s Party (EPP) group, Germany’s largest. The CSU is the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU.
The leader of the Left Party in the European Parliament, Martin Schirdewan, voted to lift her immunity and called for an independent investigation.
EPPO has declined to comment on ongoing cases, as is standard.
Niebler denies any wrongdoing. Earlier she described the allegations as “unfounded”.
Since then, though, she has shifted towards a defensive stance and focused on questioning the credibility and integrity of the main prosecution witness. That is a former employee of Niebler who ran for the EP in 2024 and could potentially have a shot as her successor if Niebler resigned.
Niebler’s JURI colleagues reportedly followed her reasoning and claimed the proceedings were initiated for political reasons.
According to information from the the German news agency dpa, JURI did not exhaust all possibilities to request additional information from the public prosecutor’s office.
Brussels Signal reached out to Niebler for a comment but had nno reply as of publication.
Individual MEPs receive €30,769 per month for their staff allowances for accredited parliamentary assistants.
Also yesterday, JURI voted on recommending to waive the immunity of Vilimsky, a senior MEP from Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) and head of its European delegation that is part of Patriots for Europe.
The recommendation, adopted by a clear majority, paves the way for Austrian authorities to proceed with an investigation.
According to Vilimsky, the reason for the request is the construction of a security entrance door for his private apartment 13 years ago, which was paid for by the party due to a threat by violent (Antifa-aligned) Black Block activists.
“Out of great concern for the safety of my family – especially my daughter, who was still a minor at the time – I asked my party to cover the costs of installing a security door in my rented apartment,” Vilimsky said in a written statement.
“Such a measure was significantly more cost-effective than any permanent security guard. This process is now being reviewed. I see nothing reprehensible in this,” he added.
Socialist MEP Evelyn Regner accused right-wing parties at all levels of seeming to take the side of the ordinary citizen “and enrich themselves with public money pots”.
Last week, the EP’s Legal Affairs Committee called for consistent enforcement and implementation to uphold the rule of law.
On May 19, the full EP will vote on the cases of both Vilimsky and Niebler.
France’s Council of State has rejected the National Rally de facto leader Marine Le Pen’s appeal against her immediate ineligibility, which was handed down in March. https://t.co/9Cc6wDWpME
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 15, 2025