In Brussels, a different kind of accountability drama unfolded. The European Parliament voted to preserve the immunity of Angelika Niebler, the CSU vice-chair and MEP, effectively halting fraud investigations against her. Niebler is accused of using parliamentary assistants for private purposes — an allegation that investigators wanted to pursue. Her fellow parliamentarians, however, blocked that effort, a decision reported by Der Spiegel that is likely to reignite the perennial debate about whether parliamentary immunity serves justice or shields the powerful [38].
Meanwhile, in the Greek Parliament, fiery scenes erupted during a debate on lifting the immunity of Zoi Konstantopoulou, who accused the proceedings of being a “rigged process.” The clash underscores how immunity debates remain politically charged across European democracies [1].
