Parliament sparks fresh row over MEPs’ expenses

Date: 14/09/00

By Gareth Harding

SENIOR parliamentarians have decided to let MEPs claim generous daily allowances in Brussels when they should be

in their constituencies, prompting renewed attacks on the assembly's expenses system.

Just before the summer recess, the European Parliament decided that four weeks a year should be set aside to enable MEPs to spend more time with the people who elected them.

Even though there will be no formal parliamentary business in Brussels or Strasbourg during those weeks, the assembly's quaestors have decided that MEPs should be allowed to claim the €240 daily allowance if they opt to remain in the Belgian capital instead of going home.

Critics argue the cost of the extra expenses could run into hundreds of thousands of euro. One Brussels-based diplomat described the plan as "awful" and said it made a mockery of MEPs' promises to spend more time with their electorate. "If they are supposed to be in their constituencies, then that is where they should be," said the official.

Several Euro MPs also attacked the proposal, which still requires the approval of the assembly's vice-presidents. The Socialist Group's budgetary control spokeswoman Eluned Morgan said permitting MEPs to sign on for expenses in Brussels during 'constituency weeks' was "totally contradictory", and promised to raise the issue at the Parliament's mini-plenary session in Brussels next week.

Green Group leader Heidi Hautala also criticised the quaestors' decision, saying it "distorted the whole idea" of constituency weeks. "Members should be encouraged to stay at home, not come to Brussels," said the Finnish MEP.

The idea of setting aside more time to spend on constituency work was first suggested by Parliament Vice-President James Provan earlier this year and received widespread support from MEPs. "The fact that so few people bothered to vote in European elections means we have to spend more time explaining who we are and what we do, but if you are never at home there is no way to do that," said Morgan.

However, one critic said that for the vast majority of MEPs who did not have regional constituencies, the extra month at home would just be an excuse to "top up tans and get higher up the national list"under the proposed rules approved by the quaestors, which are expected to be rubber-stamped by the Parliament's ruling body later this month, MEPs would be allowed to claim expenses for up to four Brussels visits of no longer than three days during constituency weeks and the week either side of the month-long summer holiday.

In defence of the move, one of the quaestors, UK Socialist Richard Balfe, insisted that the Parliament "could not banish MEPs from their offices" nor expect EU business to grind to a halt during the weeks when MEPs were away. He added that some would need to be in Brussels to attend conciliation meetings with EU governments or to hold talks with European Commission officials.

However, the long-serving Labour member admitted that the inevitable result of spending a month less in committee and political group meetings, coupled with the assembly's decision to abolish Friday meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg, meant that MEPs would have to "cram more work into their weeks".

He added that this was likely to mean less time for groups to decide their priorities, later sittings in Strasbourg and more meetings of parliamentary committees on Mondays.

Senior parliamentarians have decided to let MEPs claim generous daily allowances in Brussels when they should be in their constituencies, prompting renewed attacks on the assembly's expenses system.