7. PROTOCOL ON THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

CHAPTER 1: PROPERTY, FUNDS, ASSETS AND OPERATIONS OF THE UNION

Article 1

The premises and buildings of the Union shall be inviolable. They shall be exempt from search, requisition, confiscation or expropriation. The property and assets of the Union shall not be the subject of any administrative or legal measure of constraint without the authorisation of the Court of Justice.

Article 2

The archives of the Union shall be inviolable.

Article 3

The Union, its assets, revenues and other property shall be exempt from all direct taxes. The governments of the Member States shall, wherever possible, take the appropriate measures to remit or refund the amount of indirect taxes or sales taxes included in the price of movable or immovable property, where the Union makes, for its official use, substantial purchases the price of which includes taxes of this kind. These provisions shall not be applied, however, so as to have the effect of distorting competition within the Union. No exemption shall be granted in respect of taxes and dues which amount merely to charges for public utility services.

Article 4

The Union shall be exempt from all customs duties, prohibitions and restrictions on imports and exports in respect of articles intended for its official use. Articles so imported shall not be disposed of, whether or not in return for payment, in the territory of the State into which they have been imported, except under conditions approved by the government of that State.

The Union shall also be exempt from any customs duties and any prohibitions and restrictions on import and exports in respect of its publications.

CHAPTER 2: COMMUNICATIONS AND LAISSEZ-PASSER

Article 5 For their official communications and the transmission of all their documents, the institutions of the Union shall enjoy in the territory of each Member State the treatment accorded by that State to diplomatic missions. Official correspondence and other official communications of the institutions of the Union shall not be subject to censorship. Article 6 Laissez-passer in a form to be prescribed by a European regulation of the Council acting by a simple majority, which shall be recognised as valid travel documents by the authorities of the Member States, may be issued to members and servants of the institutions of the Union by the Presidents of these institutions. These laissez-passer shall be issued to officials and other servants under conditions laid down in the Staff Regulations of officials and the Conditions of employment of other servants of the Union. The Commission may conclude agreements for these laissez-passer to be recognised as valid travel documents within the territory of third States.

CHAPTER 3: MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Article 7 No administrative or other restriction shall be imposed on the free movement of members of the European Parliament travelling to or from the place of meeting of the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament shall, in respect of customs and exchange control, be accorded: (a) by their own governments, the same facilities as those accorded to senior officials travelling abroad on temporary official missions; (b) by the governments of other Member States, the same facilities as those accorded to representatives of foreign governments on temporary official missions.

Article 8

Members of the European Parliament shall not be subject to any form of inquiry, detention or legal proceedings in respect of opinions expressed or votes cast by them in the performance of their duties.

Article 9

During the sessions of the European Parliament, its members shall enjoy: (a) in the territory of their own State, the immunities accorded to members of their Parliament; (b) in the territory of any other Member State, immunity from any measure of detention and from legal proceedings. Immunity shall likewise apply to members while they are travelling to and from the place of meeting of the European Parliament. Immunity cannot be claimed when a member is found in the act of committing an offence and shall not prevent the European Parliament from exercising its right to waive the immunity of one of its members.