There is no place for national flags in the EP – he ruled European justice

Thirteen MEPs have lodged a complaint with the Court of Justice of the European Union (TEU), questioning the ban on the issuance of national flags in the European Parliament's gathering room. The case was diagnosed on Thursday 14 December. The judgement of many may be surprising.

National flags shall not take place in the Chamber of the European Parliament.

In its judgement delivered on Thursday 14 December 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union (TEU) ruled that they should not. Thirteen far-right Euro MPs, eleven from France and 2 from Germany, requested the annulment of the judgement of the Court of the European Union of 6 October 2021. The Court found that ‘their action for annulment of the oral measurement of the president of Parliament of 13 January 2020 prohibiting Members from putting the national flag on the platform was inadmissible’, stated the TEU.

"No national flags, no banners" according to interior rules

The dispute dates back to January 2020. Britain is 1 step distant from leaving the European Union, many years after the Brexit vote. The atmosphere in the European gathering area is electrifying. During the plenary sessions on 13 January and on 29 and 30 January, the president and Vice-President of the European Parliament orally remind the British parliamentarians that it is prohibited to wave the Union Jack flag, as is the case in Parliament. On 29 January Nigel Farage, leader of Brexit supporters, peculiarly waved the national flag during his last speech in the European Chamber.

"The posting of associate States' flags on the desks of elected Members of Parliament is incompatible with their typical function as set out in the European Treaties", explained the TEU in its explanatory memorandum.

It besides points out that the behaviour of British Euro MPs was contrary to the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament, whose Article 10, concerning the "good order of meetings", states that Members must not hang "transparents or flags".

No means of expression another than speaking

In addition, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament, Members are "speak by speaking and mostly have no another means of expression", the TEU emphasises.

The German complainant from the far-right AfD organization was Gunnar Beck and Nicolaus Fest. French applicants are members of the Rassemblement National, including its president Jordan Bardella. There are besides Jean-Paul Garraud, Thierry Mariani and another members of the Group Identity and Democracy (ID) in the European Parliament, as well as non-attached MPs specified as Gilbert Collard and Jérôme Rivière who are members of the French organization Reconquęte Érica Zemmour.

According to the AFP, the plaintiffs were charged the legal costs incurred by the European Parliament in this proceeding.