GL-PvdA MEP Bas Eichout resigns over inappropriate relationships; Right choice: Klaver

Bas Eickhout (GroenLinks-PvdA) is stepping down after 17 years as a Member of the European Parliament, partly due to past relationships that “do not fit my role,” he wrote in a statement on BlueSky. The 59-year-old Eickhout announced last week that he was in a relationship with 25-year-old Austrian MEP Lena Schilling. She is affiliated with the Greens in the European Parliament, of which Eickhout was Vice Chair. Party leader Jesse Klaver called it the “right decision.”

“I have had relationships in the past that do not fit my role. I should not have done that, and I take responsibility for it,” Eickhout said, without explaining what type of relationships he was talking about. Politico reported last week that Eickhout’s romantic relationship with Schilling caused discomfort within the Greens.

He said that reflection on these inappropriate relationships and the fact that GroenLinks-PvdA is entering a new phase as the PRO party “has led me to this decision.”

Eickhout was one of the best-known and longest-serving Dutch Members of the European Parliament. “For 17 years as a Green MEP, I have dedicated myself, heart and soul, to green ideals, to the party, and to our faction,” he wrote. He no longer has the energy and motivation to continue.

“For me, it is time to make room. PRO deserves a new generation of politicians who will continue building on the party’s success with enough energy. I want to pass on that future to them with confidence,” said Eickhout. It is not clear what he will do next, his spokesperson said.

GroenLinks-PvdA party leader Jesse Klaver believes that Eickhout made the “right decision” by stepping down. “That he is taking responsibility today is the right decision,” Klaver said on BlueSky. He thanked Eickhout for his dedication “and everything he has meant for the climate and nature.”

Eickhout’s faction in the European Parliament also considers it the right decision. “He made this decision partly because he failed to report past relationships in the workplace. A professional, open working atmosphere is of essential importance to everyone and is the core of our code of conduct.”

Party chairs Katinka Eikelenboom and Esther-Mirjam Sent thanked Eickhout for his dedication but did not say what they think of his reasons for leaving.