EU official sexually harassed colleague but was let off because Brussels pension too small to dock

A European Union official sexually harassed a colleague but was let off because his Brussels pension was too small to dock without making him go hungry.

The disciplinary case was one of dozens opened for a string of offences committed by badly-behaved Eurocrats last year, according to an internal report obtained by the Telegraph.

They include officials who forged payslips and medical records, failed to adhere to coronavirus mark rules and abused colleagues.

The Investigatory and Disciplinary Office of the Commission (IDOC) investigated 101 new cases last year, resulting in just two dismissals.

Highest proportion in relation to alleged sexual or psychological harassment

The highest proportion of probes (25) launched by EU investigators were in relation to alleged cases of sexual or psychological harassment.

In one case a retired official was found to have “sexually harassed a colleague by creating an intimidating and disturbing environment during a conversation”.

The unnamed official was let off because docking his pension would take it below the bloc’s minimum subsistence levels.

According to EU rules, the minimum pension cannot be less than 40 per cent of the basic salary for the lowest level of official – €3,327 for someone with at least 10 years of service.

In a similar case, a team leader was only warned after he had shown a “hegemonic attitude in the coordination of teamwork, which put his colleagues in a lasting state of unease”.

‘Inappropriate’

“He also verbally abused a female colleague, belittled her during meetings and contradicted and criticised her in public in an inappropriate manner by using an aggressive and rude tone,” the annual IDOC report added.

Another investigation into a temporary contracting agent found the man had used Commission databases to obtain private contact details of colleagues, who he sent “repeated, insisting and sometimes offending and threatening messages”.

Despite the highest paid EU civil servants earning almost €19,000 a month, while paying a minimal “solidarity” tax of less than 10 per cent to the bloc, there were still numerous officials found guilty of fraud.

In one case, an unnamed official was found guilty of forging seven payslips that were submitted to a national court in a divorce hearing “in order to reduce the monthly contribution he should pay to his ex-spouse for their child”.

Despite the annual report stating he had caused “reputational damage” to the Commission, the official escaped without punishment because of the “extenuating circumstances” and his “excellent working performance”.

Lied about marital status

Another official was found to have lied about their marital status for more than 10 years to claim household allowances he was no longer entitled to.

He was also found guilty of not properly checking invoices in his role as head of administration in an EU delegation.

The unnamed official was demoted by one pay grade for six months - a monthly pay cut of up to around €1,000.

A separate official was downgraded for one year after being found guilty of falsifying several medical invoices to make phoney claims for reimbursement.

There were also numerous breaches of the EU’s rules that compel staff to remain loyal to the bloc.

One official was found in breach of the bloc’s social media rules that demand staff must avoid “expressing personal opinions that are not loyal to the institution”.

Incidents ‘tip of iceberg’

A written warning was handed to the female employee for “criticising a judicial authority of a Member State in very strong and offensive terms”.

The disciplinary report said she had “been reminded about her statutory obligations in the context of expressing views on social media platforms shortly before the facts occurred”.

Frank Furedi, the executive director of the MCC Brussels think tank, who helped uncover the report, said: “The incidents referred to in this report only represent the tip of the iceberg.

“There has been a longstanding problem regarding professional behaviour. What’s most concerning about this latest report is the amount of psychological and sexual harassment cases in the offices of the EU.”