Greek MEP Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI) has asked the European Commission to assess whether EU workplace safety rules adequately protect teachers from violence, harassment and psychosocial risks, following the death of a teacher in Thessaloniki. The case has sparked debate over alleged bullying by pupils and institutional inaction.
The written parliamentary question, submitted on 3 June 2026, cites the death of English-language teacher Sofia Christidou after a haemorrhagic stroke. According to reports, a Sworn Administrative Inquiry is examining 16 documents and complaints, and relatives attribute the deterioration of her health to behaviour and institutional inaction.
whether the Commission holds comparable data on incidents of violence, harassment or intimidation against teachers across Member States; how it assesses implementation of Directive 89/391/EEC on preventing psychosocial risks and violence by third parties in public education; and whether it intends to propose guidelines or a European mechanism for recording and preventing such incidents and supporting affected teachers.
The directive, which covers health and safety at work, obliges employers to prevent psychosocial risks, but its application to violence from pupils or parents remains uneven. The MEP's questions aim to push the Commission toward a more proactive role in protecting teachers, a stakeholder group often overlooked in occupational safety debates.
Under European Parliament rules, the Commission must reply within approximately six weeks. The answer will signal whether the executive sees a need for EU-level action or considers the issue a national competence.