On 7 July 2026, the European Parliament decided not to waive the parliamentary immunity of Klára Dobrev, a Hungarian MEP, in connection with criminal defamation proceedings brought against her by Hungary's Ministry of Culture and Innovation. The decision, adopted in plenary, follows a request from the Budapest II and III District Court submitted on 5 December 2025, and is based on the Parliament's determination that the legal proceedings appear politically motivated, a concept known as fumus persecutionis.
The case stems from statements made by Dobrev on 3 October 2023 during an online press conference, which led to a private prosecution by the then-Minister of Culture and Innovation, Dr Balázs Zoltán Hankó. While the Parliament found that the alleged offence did not fall under Article 8 of Protocol No 7—which protects opinions expressed in the performance of MEP duties—it applied Article 9 of the same protocol, granting MEPs the immunities of their national parliamentarians. Under Hungarian law, criminal proceedings against a member of the National Assembly require prior consent of that assembly. The Parliament concluded that the timing, context, and selective use of criminal rather than civil law indicated an intent to damage Dobrev's political activity and the Parliament's independence.
The decision reinforces the principle of parliamentary independence and sets a precedent for scrutinising waiver requests for potential political motivation. It protects Dobrev from criminal defamation proceedings in Hungary, safeguarding her ability to perform her duties. The ruling may influence future immunity cases and the balance between EU parliamentary privileges and national legal proceedings. The Parliament instructed its President to forward the decision and the committee report to the competent Hungarian authority and to Dobrev.