‘Fraudulent and unacceptable’? The uncontrolled growth in allowances in the European Parliament

Abstract:

This note queries the legal basis for MEPs' allowances which is regulated by the unpublished "Rules Governing the Payment of Expenses and Allowances to Members". These Rules are based solely on decisions of the Bureau of the European Parliament, a procedure hardly compatible with Art.190(5) EC, which stipulates that the financial status of Members of Parliament is to be regulated by the Plenary of the Parliament after seeking the opinion of the Commission and with the consent of the Council. Furthermore, the "rules" facilitate a number of malpractices, which contravene several Treaty provisions. Often, the amount of reimbursed expenses is much higher than the actual expenses, and the pension systems can lead to double payments.