The European Parliament is getting a new statute
(Archives B2) Experts from the European Parliament have worked to overhaul the status of MEPs. Their proposal has the merit of simplicity: a single salary subject to tax and reimbursement of expenses to the nearest Euro.
A report of personalities
It only took three months for the “group of high personalities” brought together by the European Parliament to publish recommendations for reforming the status of MEPs. Their proposal, which takes up 27 pages, has the merit of simplicity. " What guided our work is indeed to have a system of transparency and readability with regard to the citizen says Niels Ersbol, one of the “wise men” and former Secretary General of the Council of the European Union.
An unequal system
The current system where each deputy is paid, according to very different terms by his government, and where he can also receive certain allowances would be abandoned. Between a Spanish deputy who receives only 2.879 Euros and his Italian colleague who receives nearly 10.000 Euros, the inequality is flagrant. After having run its calculation mill, the group of experts therefore proposes to fix the salary of an MEP at a single amount, situated in a range between 7.420 Euros (approximately 49.700 FF) and 8420 F euros (approximately 55.000 F).
Tax and single contributions
This salary would be subject to a single tax and social security contributions for a non-negligible part, of 45%. In the end, each MEP would be left with a net amount of 5075 Euros (approximately 33 FF). A sum that the six wise men of Parliament consider "justified" in view of the work provided by the MEP: meetings at an almost continuous pace, work in several languages and significant travel time between Brussels or Strasbourg and the place of their constituency.
Stricter expense reimbursements
Especially since reimbursements of expenses will be stricter. " The current system is too flawed says the report. " Only travel expenses actually incurred by Members and which can be duly proven should be reimbursed ". All of these proposals were rather well received by the main political groups. This does not prevent certain deputies, such as Paul Lannoye, co-president of the green group, from fearing that the " report does not disappear in the maze of parliamentary committees ". Especially since it also remains to obtain the unanimous agreement of the fifteen governments of the Member States.
A task which does not however seem impossible in the eyes of a diplomat connoisseur of European institutions. The file could then be closed under the French presidency of the European Union in the second half. A group of experts, this time government must also work on the issue this Friday.
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
Published in France-Soir, June 2000
What an MEP currently receives
- • A salary paid and fixed according to the MP's nationality. For example: 6 Euros gross (500 F) per month for French MPs.
- • Taxes and social security contributions vary according to the Member's nationality. The French are subject to taxation like employees but only to certain social security contributions.
- • A lump sum travel allowance per trip
- • An additional travel allowance: 3 euros maximum per year (000 F)
- • A subsistence allowance: 240 euros (1574 F) for each day of a meeting of an official body.
- • A general expenses allowance: flat rate of 3 euros per month (385 F) to cover expenses for office equipment, postage and telephone costs, documentation, IT, etc.;
- • A secretarial allowance: 9 euros per month maximum (765 F) to recruit one or more assistants.
