Salaris europarlementariërs opnieuw inzet van discussie (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The contentious issue of how much MEPs should earn in the future will once again be discussed by member states today following Germany's refusal last week to agree to reform proposals.

EU ambassadors meeting in Brussels will take a last look at the thorny issue to see if any compromise can be reached ahead of a foreign ministers Council meeting at the beginning of next week.

The reform of the current MEP pay system, which allows deputies to take advantage of opaque expense allowances, was blocked by Germany mainly for domestic reasons.

Berlin argues that the decision must be taken by unanimity as it involves tax issues.

The Irish EU Presidency, and most of the other member states, counter that the decision should be taken by qualified majority voting as tax forms only a small part of the overall issue.

The Presidency has received the backing of the Council's legal services on the matter.

They have also received backing from Willi Rothley, the MEP responsible for the whole issue in the European Parliament.

In a letter to Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, the MEP proposes removing the tax from the final package to get around the problem.

"I would clearly favour the solution of removing any provision of fiscal nature from the members statute in order to allow the Council to deliberate by a qualified majority", says his letter.

The reform would see MEPs earning a set wage of 9053 euro per month - half that of a European judge.

Currently, MEPs earn the same as their national counterparts meaning huge discrepancies between nationalities with the Italians earning several thousands of euro more than their Spanish colleagues, for example.

If the issue is not resolved, the discrepancy is set to become even more extreme after 1 May when MEPs from the new member states join - their wages are generally less than 1000 euro a month.

With European Parliament elections in June and the prospect of low voter turnout, member states as well as parliamentarians are aware that if they do not get the reforms pushed through in time, voters are likely to once more levy 'Brussels gravy-train' accusations at them.