By Jan W. Schäfer and Albert Link
Sexism scandal surrounding EU MP Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold (36). The CDU politician sexually harassed one employee.
Sexism scandal surrounding EU MP Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold (36). The CDU politician sexually harassed one employee.
This is what it says in the internal final report (25 pages) of the EU Committee on Harassment Complaints. The report from Brussels is available to BILD.
It started as a wine hike
According to the report, Braunsberger-Reinhold visited a “wine mile” near Roßbach (Saxony-Anhalt) on June 5, 2022 with the two employees and her husband. Also present: around 30 members of the Junge Union (JU).
During the hike (from 10 a.m.) the politician drank a lot of wine. Around 12 p.m. she got two liqueur bottles. In the afternoon, Braunsberger-Reinhold “couldn’t walk straight anymore,” says the report.
5 p.m .: scandal at Roßbach train station
For about an hour, Braunsberger-Reinhold later involved both employees in sex talks, the report goes on to say. She said, among other things, that she was bisexual. Several times she told both employees directly that she wanted to “get laid”. Words like “f…” were also used.
When the train arrived (for the journey home towards Bad Kösen), the CDU politician then grabbed her employee’s chest and décolleté from behind and laid her head on her shoulder.
Dismay for both employees! Braunsberger-Reinhold was confronted. Then: Complaint to the EU and call in sick!
The EU committee dealt with the incidents a total of nine times in the months that followed, listening to those affected as well as the CDU politician and two witnesses.
But a punishment for the politician? None!
► Instead, the conclusion of the report on page 19 states: The committee weighed the “severity of the incidents” against the “severity of the consequences” for the life of the politician if the “sexual harassment became public”.
In plain language: It’s better to keep quiet so that the CDU politician doesn’t have to answer uncomfortable questions…
BILD confronted EU Parliament leader Roberta Metsola (44) with the events. But she didn’t want to comment.
When asked by BILD, Braunsberger-Reinhold said she had “expressed deep regret” to both employees the day after. In addition, the EU Committee found that “in the overall assessment, no sanctions against me as a Member of Parliament and as a person” are justified.