Laatste hand gelegd aan één salaris- en onkostensysteem voor europarlementariërs (en)

The Luxembourg EU president Jean-Claude Juncker is preparing for a final round in the battle over the European Parliament's generous salary and travel scheme.

The issue will top the agenda of next week's General affairs Council.

A salary for all MEP's of 7000 euro is in the pipeline, pension schemes would be halted and only proven travel costs would be refunded.

At the moment Euro-parliamentarians are paid according to their national systems which means there are huge discrepancies between salaries - Italians are at the top of the payment heap, their Spanish colleagues at the bottom together with MEPs from the new EU member states.

Under the current system MEPs are also refunded the price of a business class air ticket, even if they use low-cost carriers for their journeys.

An agreement in January 2004 to stop the MEP gravy train was blocked by Germany and Austria because it was going to offer MEPs a pay raise of up to 9000 euro at a time when Germany was about to cut social benefits.

The new proposals include a gradual stepping up of salaries paid to MEPs from the new member states.

In addition to the salary proposal MEPs under the new system are to receive 3785 Euro per month to cover telephone, fax, office, newspapers, computer and other costs related to their mandate, according to Die Welt.

The decision on reforming the MEPs payment scheme is linked to the adoption of a new statute for the European Parliament, according to which member states would be allowed to tax the MEPs salaries.