Member of the European Parliament

A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union's directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. MEPs are the European equivalents of a country's national parliamentary members, known as MPs in English; hence, the term Euro-MP is used colloquially in English.

Expenses

Commentators in several member states (most notably Denmark, Sweden and the UK) have frequently accused MEPs of taking advantage of lucrative expense allowances for personal profit. Such criticisms typically centre on two areas:

Related Topics:
Denmark - Sweden - UK

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• the amount paid to MEPs as expenses; and
• the manner in which it is paid.

With regard to the amount paid, according to the Parliament's rules of procedure, MEPs receive allowances that are roughly equivalent to those paid to British MPs. As of 2002:

Related Topics:
British - MP

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• British MPs received an allowance for travel around their constituencies, but MEPs did not, despite the fact that their constituencies were much larger.
• British MPs were paid a lump sum of just under £19,500 for accommodation at seat of Parliament, regardless of the time they actually spent there. MEPs received £150 per day attended and were required to sign in to prove attendance.
• Both British MPs and MEPs were paid travel expenses for journeys from constituencies to Parliament. Contrary to widespread rumours, MEPs received 'YY economy class' air fares paid, not first class, plus an allowance per kilometre for the trip from their home to the airport. Only one journey was allowed per week.
• British MPs were given first class rail tickets for spouse and children to Westminster up to thirty times per year. MEPs had no such allowance.
• British MPs were given two return tickets per year to any EU parliament or the European Parliament itself. MEPs had no such allowance.
• British MPs received unlimited travel expenses around the UK on parliamentary business. MEPs were given a similar allowance, but this was limited to £2,170 per year, plus an extra allowance if they needed to return home midweek.
• British MPs and MEPs both received an office allowance. MEPs were paid 44% more than MPs, but this had to include postage and all equipment, whereas MPs also received unlimited free postage and free computers.
• British MPs and MEPs both had a staff allowance. MEPs received 30% more than MPs, but their staffs are typically larger, and this amount had to cover staff pensions, temporary replacements for illness, redundancy costs at end of mandate, staff travel, insurance, administration, and employer's liability. MPs had those provided for free on top of their allowance.
• At the end of their mandates, British MPs received four months of office allowances, while MEPs received three.

With regard to the manner in which it is paid, complaints are often raised about the fact that MEPs' flights to and from Brussels are paid at a flat rate, regardless of the expenditure actually incurred. The price paid is for economy travel, not first-class, but nevertheless this value often amounts to significantly more than the actual price of travel with one of the many budget airlines that serve Brussels.

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Another area of concern is the fact that MEPs' accounts are currently audited on a spot-check basis, not a universal one. Feeling this to be insufficient, some members voluntarily submit their accounts for a full independent audit annually.

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Reform of salary and expenses

Parliament has repeatedly expressed a will to reform its salary and expenses package, most recently in a resolution adopted on 22 April 2004. However, because agreement is needed from both the Parliament and the Council of Ministers, resolution has so far proven impossible. Those countries whose MEPs would receive a pay increase as a result of salary harmonisation - notably Germany - have repeatedly vetoed these proposals in Council. http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1098127_1_A,00.html

Related Topics:
22 April - 2004 - Council of Ministers

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The arrangement by which each MEP receives the same salary as a member of his own national parliament was originally intended as a stop-gap measure while a unified rate was agreed. But this has become a serious sticking-point in the Parliament. By law, salaries should be harmonised so that all MEPs receive the same, but this has proved politically difficult. Any figure selected (for instance, the average of current rates) would mean a big cut for some and a big increase for others, which is hard to justify.

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A recent proposal was to fix the salary at half that of a judge at the European Court of Justice. When this was first suggested two years ago, it was, on average, only a slight increase for MEPs; but the measure has not yet been agreed, and the pay rise would be much more substantial if it were implemented now.

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A possible flat salary of € 90 000 has recently been proposed, but this was rejected.

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