Thursday

28th Mar 2024

MEP perks on foreign ministers' agenda

Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels today and tomorrow will take time out from discussing controversial international issues to discuss controversial issues closer to home: MEPs' pay and funding of pan-European political parties.

The issue of MEPs' pay has seen European Parliament and member states at loggerheads with one another for several months.

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The reform of the statute, pushed by member states, would see the system behind salaries for MEPs made much more transparent.

At the moment, Euro-parliamentarians are paid according to their national systems which means there are huge discrepancies between salaries - Germans and Italians are at the top of the payment heap, their Spanish colleagues at the bottom.

If the new proposals are adopted, it would mean a huge pay rise for some; Spanish MEPs would receive 5,700 euro more per month.

Taxing issues

Under the proposed reforms, the way MEPs allocate travel expenses and what and how they may claim will also be changed. At the moment the system is extremely opaque, leading to many national newspapers to speak of the 'Brussels gravy train'.

The question of tax is also a thorny one. MEPs voted recently that they should pay tax to the European Communities and not into their national tax systems. This is strongly opposed by countries such as the UK, Denmark and Sweden – they fear the political fallout of MEPs paying less tax than their constituents.

The clock is ticking on this whole statute issue – the Parliament is under pressure to strike a deal with the Council before next year's election and EU enlargement.

The discrepancies between current member state MEPs and those from the accession countries are even greater. A Czech politician elected as a member of the European Parliament in the June 2004 elections would only be paid a salary of 400 euro per month, the same as MPs in the Prague parliament according to the existing rules. Italian MEPs, by contrast, receive close to 12,000 euro per month.

Pan-European party funding

Another issue up for discussion is pan-European party funding. From July next year, 8.4 million euro will be made available from the Community budget for pan-European parties.

In order to qualify for the money, parties have to be represented in at least a quarter of the member states of the European Union.

Otherwise, the party must have obtained at least three per cent of the votes cast in the most recent European elections in each of at least four member states, the proposed regulation says.

IGC to be formally announced

Other issues closer to home include the forth-coming intergovernmental conference (IGC) to discuss and finalise the draft EU constitution.

Foreign ministers are today set to formally convene the IGC. This is just a formality - as the IGC, it has been generally agreed, will open on 4 October - and follows the handing over the opinions on the IGC by the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Central Bank.

EU citizens to pay for pan-European parties

The European Union is set to provide financial support for European political parties. However, only the largest parties are in line for support, with the bill to be picked up by tax payers.

Reform of MEPs' perks unlikely before election

Euro-parliamentarians have approved a report limiting their pay but retaining control of perks. A deal being seen by some as a fudge. The report, drafted by German Social Democrat MEP Willi Rothley, proposes a fixed salary for all MEPs of 50% of the basic salary of a judge at the European Court of Justice, around 8,000 euro per month.

Commission: equal pay for MEPs strain on EU budget

Euro-parliamentarians have taken the first step in reforming their working conditions, pay and expenses by voting in favour of the Rothley report which establishes a Statute for MEPs. But the Commission, in its opinion after the vote, noted that "there will clearly be significant additional costs for the EC budget" and the Council might not be satisfied.

Pan-European parties statute to be taken to Court

The statute for European political parties, adopted today by the European Parliament, has been deemed discriminatory by the smaller political groups, as they risk not being entitled to funding.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

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