Jordan Bardella accuses EU Parliament of far-right ‘paranoia’ in court battle

Luxembourg — Jordan Bardella's lawyer argued in court that the European Parliament exhibits "paranoia" regarding far-right entities, following his client's legal challenge against the body's decision to terminate François Paradol's position as a part-time MEP assistant. Paradol, Bardella's chief of staff, previously worked as Bardella's part-time local MEP assistant in France.

However, the Parliament denied his reappointment in 2024, citing concerns over Bardella's association with Marine Le Pen, who was convicted of embezzling funds from 2004 to 2016 for the benefit of the National Rally, Bardella's political party. Bardella's lawyer, David Dassa-Le Deist, contended that the Parliament's decision was motivated by prejudice against far-right parties.

The Parliament's lawyer, Lavinia Darie, countered that Paradol's National Rally duties would require him to be "available around the clock," making it impossible to separate his roles. Darie also raised concerns about potential abuse of funds in Bardella's case, highlighting the high risk associated with Paradol's National Rally position.

The National Rally is projected to win the upcoming French election, potentially making Le Pen the next president, and Bardella her prime minister. Dassa-Le Deist noted that hybrid working arrangements are not prohibited and emphasized Paradol's long-standing and competent collaboration with Bardella. Judge Heikki Kanninen questioned whether the Parliament would have made the same decision if it involved an MEP from a different party, to which Darie replied that such a case would have been denied regardless of the individual, political group, or nationality involved.

The case may impact MEPs' ability to select their own staff, and the court has not set a timeline for delivering a ruling, typically taking several months.