The European Parliament has decided not to lift the immunity of Bulgarian MEP Nikola Minchev, who is part of the Renew Europe group, in connection with an ongoing Belgian investigation into alleged lobbying activities linked to Chinese technology company Huawei.
The case is part of a broader inquiry launched by Belgian authorities in 2025 into suspected lobbying practices within the European Parliament in favor of Huawei. The investigation involves several Members of the European Parliament across different political groups.
The decision in plenary follows an earlier position taken by the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, which had already recommended rejecting the request to lift Minchev’s immunity, along with those of two other MEPs. At the same time, the committee supported lifting the immunity of an Italian MEP from the European People’s Party on June 3, who remains under investigation in the same case.
Lawmakers ultimately upheld the committee’s recommendation during the vote in Strasbourg, keeping Minchev’s parliamentary protection in place and preventing legal proceedings from moving forward at this stage.
