MEPs’ allowances

MEPs have ignored requirements to provide documentary justification for the allowances that they claim for paying their office assistants.

The European Court of Auditors has urged the Parliament’s leadership to suspend payments or recover money in cases where supporting evidence has not been provided.

Each MEP receives €15,496 per month to hire an assistant. In 2006, the Parliament paid out €132 million on allowances for assistants. In its annual report, the Court points out that it has highlighted the problem with the Parliament’s internal administrative procedures since 1998. The rules were changed in 2004 so that MEPs were supposed to provide documentary evidence that the costs were actually incurred. After repeated extension of the deadlines, the Parliament’s administration has received documents supporting only 27% of the payments for the period in 2004 and only 22.5% for 2005.

"As of 1 May 2007, no measures had been taken by the Bureau [the president and 14 vice-presidents] to ensure that the obligation to supply adequate supporting documentation had been complied with," the court said.

A Parliament spokesman said that full documentation had now been received from all but a handful of MEPs and 89% of expenses had been accounted for.

• The court has criticised the Committee of the Regions (CoR) over the payment of travel expenses to its members. The CoR’s rules say that travel expenses should be refunded for the cost of the flight tickets actually paid and administrative costs are paid on presentation of the travel agency invoice. But travel expenditure was paid "in various cases…on the basis of hand-written travel agency invoices always showing the same amount". An internal investigation by the CoR’s administration found that these invoices were on average 83% higher than prices charged by the airline for the ticket used. There was no evidence of the actual administrative cost invoiced for the purchase. The court concluded "the results of this investigation do not demonstrate that the amounts paid for administrative costs were justified".

MEPs have ignored requirements to provide documentary justification for the allowances that they claim for paying their office assistants.