Raad van Ministers buigt zich over beloning europarlementariërs (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Ministers from the 25 member states will today (April 26) once more tackle the thorny issue of revising the generous system of pay and perks for members of the European Parliament.

Over dinner in Luxembourg this evening, ministers are set to try and reach agreement on a system that has been under the reform spotlight for decades and which has contributed to the 'gravy train' image of the Brussels assembly.

Under the proposals being discussed, all MEPs would receive a flat salary of 7,000 euro/month.

Phasing-in period

Currently, members of the European Parliament are paid the same as their national counterparts resulting in huge pay differences between the 732 MEPs.

Top earning MEPs receive around 12,000 euro/month while those at the other end of the scale pocket around 1,000 euro/month.

There is likely to be a phasing back of salaries for those earning more than the 7,000 euro/month flat rate - this rate is closest to what a German MEP currently earns, but would mean up to 5,000 euro/month pay cuts for Italians.

Under the new system, MEPs are also set to receive 3,785 euro/month to cover telephone, fax, office, newspapers, computer and other costs related to their mandate in addition to the salary proposal.

On top of this, MEPs would only be refunded for travel costs based on actual costs paid out and not via a set system - currently MEPs can legally claim back the price of a business class air ticket even if they travelled with a budget airline.

If agreement is reached under the Luxembourg EU presidency, it would be a major coup for prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

Battered image

It would also revive the European Parliament's battered image, as there have been several attempts over the years to reform the opaque expenses system.

The last time a breakthrough was this close was in January 2004. At the time, the reform was blocked by Germany which was politically unable to agree to a proposed pay increase to 9,000 euro/month when the country was going through tough social reforms.

If ministers reach agreement this evening, the issue would go back to the European Parliament which has to give its approval.