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A senior MEP in the European Parliament has been placed under investigation after comparing a guard to a pet (dog).
Johan Van Overtveldt, chairman of the Parliament's Budget Committee and Belgian Finance Minister from 2014 to 2018, was involved in a confrontation with a European Parliament security guard, while comparing him to a pet he kept at home.
The incident occurred on February 11, and the case was taken under review by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Van Overtveld told Politico that he did not recall using such language, but admitted that he raised his voice at the guard.
According to the letter from USPE, which represents Parliament staff, a security officer at the gate of the building in Brussels stopped Van Overtveld when he tried to enter with his wife, who possessed an expired entry pass.
"In response to the security staff's insistence that the rules be followed, he demanded to see the badge of the guard in charge to identify him and then angrily threw the document on the floor," the letter to Metsola, dated February 16, states.
"Then, when the guard asked him to show respect, emphasizing that he was addressing a human being, the MEP responded with an insulting reaction, comparing him to a pet (his dog), publicly humiliating him," the statement said.
Van Overtveld claimed that he does not have a dog or any other pets and that he is "almost certain he did not use such words."
A European Parliament spokesperson said the House of Representatives is "looking into the incident involving an MEP and assessing the facts."
Van Overtveld is a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the party of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, which belongs to the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
In a separate email to Parliament staff, USPE referred to “the recent mistreatment of one of our employees,” without mentioning the names involved.
“This incident is not an isolated incident, but is part of a broader systemic problem affecting security personnel,” the message said. “Security officers face a lack of career development opportunities and insufficient recognition of their professional experience.”
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