Experts to recommend big increase in MEPs’ salaries

Date: 01/06/2000

By Simon Taylor

A COMMITTEE of experts is set to recommend that the average MEP's salary should rise by up to 45% to compensate members for a less generous expenses package.

The recommendations, which will be presented to Parliament President Nicole Fontaine next week, have been drawn up by a group of independent experts appointed by the assembly itself to propose a common salary for all MEPs.

Its findings will, however, have to be approved by the Parliament and by EU governments. Fierce political battles are likely over a move which would see some MEPs take a pay cut while many would be paid more than national parliamentarians in their home country.

The committee, chaired by former Finnish MEP Elizabeth Rehn, will argue that members' salaries should be in line with the pay of senior officials working in the EU institutions.

She is expected to recommend that the rate of pay should be based either on the earnings of an A3 grade official (€8,272 a month), or of a A4, which would mean a 23% increase.

Under the existing system, MEPs earn the same as their counterparts in national parliaments, with salaries ranging from €2,827 a month in Spain to €9,635 in Italy. German Socialist MEP Willi Rothley calculated in a 1998 report that the average salary was €5,677 a month.

The committee will also recommend in return that MEPs' expenses should only be reimbursed if they can show receipts for travel and other costs. Under the current system, Euro MPs can claim for one airline ticket a week, between their homes and assembly meetings in Brussels or Strasbourg, without having to produce the ticket to prove the true cost of the flight.

EU diplomats welcomed that work would start soon on agreeing new rules. But they predicted it would be very difficult to settle the question of how to tax MEPs. Most member states are in favour of levying a single rate for all members. But the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Finland want MEPs to pay extra taxes so their net earnings are more in line with the take home pay of national parliamentarians.

A committee of experts is set to recommend that the average MEP's salary should rise by up to 45% to compensate members for a less generous expenses package.