German EU lawmaker resigns seat after misconduct allegations

DPA
·1 min read
Malte Lenz Gallee, member of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, gives an interview at the parliament building in Strasbourg. Germany's youngest EU lawmaker in the European Parliament, Malte Gallée, resigned his seat on Friday over allegations of his misconduct towards staff members. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
Malte Lenz Gallee, member of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, gives an interview at the parliament building in Strasbourg. Germany's youngest EU lawmaker in the European Parliament, Malte Gallée, resigned his seat on Friday over allegations of his misconduct towards staff members. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa

Germany's youngest EU lawmaker in the European Parliament, Malte Gallée, resigned his seat on Friday over allegations of his misconduct towards staff members.

The allegations are still under investigation by Gallée's Green group in the European Parliament. He has denied the accusations and said he is cooperating with the investigation.

"There had already been unsubstantiated rumours about me beforehand and I have already actively asked my group's ombudsman's office in the European Parliament to investigate them," he said in a statement.

Gallée, 30, requested the investigation into the allegations in the summer of 2022. The German magazine Stern previously reported on the alleged misconduct.

The Green group in the European Parliament refused to comment on the specific allegations. However, a spokeswoman said the group "attaches great importance to a climate of safety and zero tolerance for harassment and inappropriate behaviour."

Gallée, from Bavaria, replaced Sven Giegold in the European Parliament at the beginning of 2022 after his move to Germany's Ministry of Economics as state secretary, the number two post at the ministry.