European Parliament Rejects Request to Lift The Immunity of Bulgarian MEP Nikolay Minchev

The European Parliament has decided not to lift the immunity of Bulgarian MEP Nikolay Minchev of the Renew Europe group in connection with a request from the Belgian authorities relating to lobbying activities allegedly linked to Chinese technology giant Huawei. The decision was taken during the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg.

Two weeks ago, the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs rejected the request to waive the immunity of Nikolay Minchev and two other MEPs. On 3 June, however, the committee supported lifting the immunity of an Italian MEP from the European People’s Party who is being investigated as part of the same case.

Belgian authorities launched an investigation in 2025 into alleged lobbying practices within the European Parliament carried out in favour of Huawei.