STRASBOURG — When Green lawmakers and staff gathered for a regular meeting in the European Parliament on Wednesday, only a small handful knew a bombshell was about to be dropped.
Bas Eickhout, the face of the Greens in the Parliament and one of the best-known MEPs in Brussels and his native Netherlands, quit as a lawmaker and co-chair of the group after breaking internal party rules on relationship disclosure.
According to two people with knowledge of what happened in the room, Eickhout made a statement, which he later posted on social media, saying: “In the past, I did not always do the right thing. I have had relationships that were not appropriate for my role. I should not have done that, and I take responsibility for it.”
The room went silent. Eickhout, who became visibly emotional as he spoke, then walked out. Many were confused, and some tears were shed. But there were no goodbyes, no thank yous, and no applause for his 17 years of service to a political family that has more than 50 MEPs. A meeting was called on Thursday morning between the leadership and party staff to discuss the matter further.
The group secretariat was notified early this week of a previously undisclosed workplace relationship involving a staff member. Relationships between MEPs and staffers are allowed as long as they are disclosed, according to the Greens’ code of conduct.
After that came to light, Eickhout decided to resign, two more people aware of the situation told POLITICO. They were granted anonymity to speak about the delicate situation.
POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook last week reported that Eickhout, 49, had revealed to party colleagues that he was in a relationship with Lena Schilling, 25, the youngest member of the Parliament. The resignation “has nothing to do with the relationship with Lena,” Eickhout told POLITICO via a spokesperson. He did not respond to further requests for comment.
Progressive Netherlands (known as PRO), the party into which Eickhout’s Green-Left party is in the final stages of merging, issued a statement indicating there had been more cases. “He made this decision in part because he did not report past workplace relationships.”
The reason Eickhout resigned is that he broke internal party rules by failing to disclose his relationship with a staff member, said the second two people familiar with the matter. Those rules were introduced in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against German lawmaker Malte Gallée in March 2024. Gallée denied the allegations but resigned his post.
“With his [Eickhout’s] departure, our group is losing an important member who has made a significant contribution to the development of the European Green Deal,” said European Green Party co-chair Vula Tsetsi, speaking about the EU’s growth and climate strategy. “We will continue these efforts with determination and renewed energy.”
Rising through the ranks
Eickhout was first elected as an MEP in 2009 but rose to prominence in the 2019-2024 term, spearheading the Greens’ work on the Green Deal legislative package, notably pushing for stricter car emissions rules and a ban on the sale of new combustion-engine cars by 2035. He also represented the group at COP climate conferences on several occasions.
When it came time to select a lead candidate for the 2024 EU election, the Greens plumped for Eickhout, putting him face-to-face with Ursula von der Leyen in televised debates.
However, the Greens had a disastrous election, losing a quarter of their MEPs and seeing their influence drastically reduced as right-wing forces gained a greater foothold in the Parliament.
Appointed as group co-chair after the election, Eickhout was tasked with reuniting a fractured political family and confronting a new political landscape dominated by the right. Many flagship green laws from the previous mandate — including Eickhout’s own combustion engine ban — are now set to be reopened and gutted.
One after the other, Eickhout and the Greens have seen their ideas watered down or scrapped. “I no longer have the energy for it,” he said in his statement.
Meanwhile, in The Hague, the merger of the Green-Left party with the Social Democrats to form PRO could see a move away from the green movement. At a congress in mid-June, PRO will begin the process of deciding whether to join the European Socialists or the European Greens.
“With the creation of PRO, a new era is beginning. That party deserves representatives who can dedicate themselves to it with full energy,” Eickhout said in his farewell statement.
“During PRO’s Europa Festival on May 9, I saw how much energy, optimism, and fighting spirit there is within the party. I saw a movement looking ahead and bursting with ambition for the future. At the same time, I realized that after 17 years, I can no longer bring that same energy in the same way,” he said.
The rise and fall of Greens chief Bas Eickhout
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