Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 27/2/2026; Author: Aljaž Primožič
Screenshots of emails notifying European People’s Party (EPP) recipients of sanctions for violations of internal rules, which were shared on X in late January by MEPs Branko Grims and Milan Zver, reveal that expulsion is not among the potential sanctions this political group can impose on its MEPs.
Matjaž Nemec, a Member of the European Parliament belonging to the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group and the Slovenian Social Democrats party, stated on the 5 February broadcast of the POP TV news show 24ur zvečer that MEP Romana Tomc, representing the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) “is ill suited to comment [on the European Socialists’ call to expel the SDS party from the EPP] after her own [European] party expelled half of the SDS delegation.”
Nemec corrected his statement later in the broadcast. He explained that he was referring only to the suspension that followed a censure vote against the current President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. That vote took place on 22 January this year; 165 MEPs supported the motion, 390 voted against it, and ten abstained.
On 23 January, the American news outlet Politico reported that during the week of the censure vote against von der Leyen, the EPP “introduced tougher punishments for those breaking the party line in such votes.”
Official voting records from the censure vote against President von der Leyen show that most EPP members voted against the motion. Milan Zver was one of four members of the political group who abstained, while Branko Grims did not cast a vote.
Razkrinkavanje.si reached out to the EPP, of which Grims and Zver are members, for clarification on the disciplinary sanctions MEPs may face. We also asked them to confirm whether they had sent emails notifying the pair of sanctions.
The EPP did not respond to our inquiries. We will publish their response when we have received it.
On 23 January, both Zver and Grims shared screenshots on X of the emails from the EPP’s chief whip, Jeroen Lenaers, informing them of the sanctions. Zver accompanied the screenshot with an explanation that, following the censure vote, “the EPP group officially informed me that temporary sanctions have been imposed on me for failing to follow the official EPP position to vote against the no-confidence motion.”
“I received a notice of sanctions from the EPP leadership because, despite an explicit request from the EPP, I did not vote against the no-confidence motion against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,” Grims commented on the same screenshot.
The emails informed them that they had voted in violation of rules adopted on 20 January and were therefore sanctioned for six months in accordance with those rules. During this period, they will be stripped of the following privileges: “speaking in plenary on behalf of the group; qualification to be newly appointed as rapporteur or shadow rapporteur; being appointed as author or negotiator of any European Parliament resolution on behalf of the political group; being appointed as responsible for a position paper, project group, or any other task on behalf of the group.”
Expulsion from the political group was not among the sanctions imposed.
Andreja Pegan, assistant professor at the Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, who researches the European Parliament and politics, explained to Razkrinkavanje.si that disciplinary procedures, particularly expulsion of members from political groups, are “relatively rare in parliamentary practice, but not unusual.” They occur in both the European Parliament and the national parliaments of European countries.
Professor Pegan noted that political groups can restrict or revoke all rights and functions arising from group membership. Restrictions on the roles of coordinators, who determine a group’s political strategy within committees, are particularly serious. The same applies to rapporteurs, who are responsible for drafting reports and reaching consensus in coordination meetings. “The removal of these functions significantly reduces an MEP’s political influence,” especially regarding politically sensitive legislative dossiers.
She pointed out that political groups set their own rules regarding the suspension (the temporary restriction of activities) and expulsion of members. The substantive grounds for these procedures are not always clearly defined; sometimes they are described precisely, other times they are broad or vague.
According to Pegan, the most common reason cited by political groups for expulsion is a “serious breach,” whether it be acting contrary to the values or reputation of the group, neglecting parliamentary duties, disregarding decisions, or violating the rules of procedure.
She estimates that the expulsion of MEPs has become somewhat more frequent in recent years, particularly during major disputes within political groups. These groups are becoming increasingly diverse, bringing together politicians from different political cultures and interests, which heightens tensions.
She also explained that, in practice, a political group is more likely to reward MEPs by granting influential positions than it is to punish them. Because political groups play a vital role in organizing work within the European Parliament, “their internal disciplinary system has significant consequences for an MEP’s actual ability to influence the legislative process.”
MEP Nemec’s office told Razkrinkavanje.si that his statement was a “slip of the tongue.” Nemec intended to emphasize that the two SDS MEPs were sanctioned, not expelled. They apologized for the “resulting confusion” and thanked us for verifying the claim.
Because they clarified that the statement was a “slip of the tongue,” we have categorized his claim that the EPP expelled part of the Slovenian SDS delegation from the group as a reckless mistake.
