Harassment case at the EESC

Requested by Politico to comment assertions made by Jacek Krawczyk in an interview published today (11 Septemer 2020), I sent the journalist the following statement:

I do not intend to go into detail once again on matters that have been repeatedly raised and answered over the past 9 months.

The issues referred to by Mr Krawczyk in this interview were already raised by him and his lawyers to OLAF in December 2019, to the Advisory Committee established by the EESC's Internal Rules which analysed the case from January until the end of April, to the Enlarged Presidency of the EESC and finally to the EESC Bureau.

The EESC Bureau, having listened to OLAF and discussed the conclusions of the Advisory Committee with its President, took the decision of 9 June 2020 with great clarity, which was complemented by the decision of the Plenary Assembly of 15 July waiving the immunity of Mr Krawczyk. The President can only guarantee the full execution of decisions taken by official EESC bodies.

Normally, it is standard practice that a person who is the subject to such accusations and similar conclusions of preliminary investigations takes a step back, to defend himself in the appropriate forums, in order not to jeopardise the reputation of the Institution, even more so in the presence of criminal proceedings in the Belgian courts.

After long controversies, this act was finally carried out last Monday with the withdrawal of the candidacy of Mr. Krawczyk for President of the EESC.

Now any other matter will be evaluated by the Belgian courts and the Tribunal of the EU, with the guarantees of the law. I have full confidence in the work of the judiciary and therefore I do not intend to comment further on any of these issues.

Previously I have sent Politico a letter to editor, published on 3 September 2020:

No ‘chaos’ at the European Economic and Social Committee

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