Friday

29th Mar 2024

MEPs risk fine for skipping Barroso's big speech

  • Empty seats in the Strasbourg plenary: a fine-inducing prospect (Photo: EUobserver)

With MEPs having something of a reputation for a patchy appearance rate in the EU chamber, moves are afoot to make sure that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is not humiliated during a first ever "State of the Union" speech.

To get derrières on as many of the 736 seats as possible, the leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament have suggested fining those MEPs who dare to give the three hour slot for the speech and debate a miss.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

An electronic test will be carried out three times during the debate, starting early on Tuesday (7 September), and deputies who are twice conspicuous by their absence may be subject to a small financial penalty.

The political group leaders' decision, put together at a meeting on Thursday, was summed up in an email sent to one of the smaller groups in the parliament.

"With a view to ensuring the highest possible attendance at the debate on the State of the Union, [it has been decided] to introduce specific checks on Members' presence in the Chamber using the electronic system at three different moments during the debate," the email said.

"What this means in practice is that there will be 3 "appel nominal de presence" during the State of the of Union debate. Those Members not present at 2 out of 3 checks will face a financial penalty."

The exact details are still to be worked out by the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, and the institution's 14 vice-presidents when they meet on Monday evening.

It is likely that errant MEPs will be fined a quarter of their daily allowance. MEPs receive a daily diet of €298 for attending plenary and voting.

"It's not a question of fines, it is a question of getting your daily allowance," said one parliament source, dipping into the semantics of the move.

The new idea will be based on a fine system already used for attendance during voting. "The system is that if you are not present at at least half of the roll call votes during the plenary, you will lose half of your daily allowances of the week," the source went on.

Responding to the proposal, UK Liberal MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford said: "My reaction is incredulity. This is absurd! Has April Fool's day come early?"

She said that while attendance is often a problem, as much due to heavy workloads as anything else, an appeal to "courtesy" would have sufficed.

The outspoken MEP said that having heard about the proposal, she is not sure whether she will now attend the debate: "I might have a childish little protest and watch it in my office instead."

Another hostile reaction came from Dutch Green MEP Bas Eickhout: "I didn't know I was elected to a European school class that is getting penalties for not attending a very ground-breaking lesson. The best way to get great attendance is by delivering a State of the Union address that offers new insights and ideas for our European project.

"I fear people came to this ridiculous idea after reading the draft of Barroso's speech."

Mr Barroso's speech is to start at 9am Brussels time on Tuesday and is expected to take the temperature of the EU, which has been buffeted by the economic crisis, and which is struggling to find its feet on the global stage.

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us