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Dr George Vella was reported on One News to have appealed to Labour voters not to believe those who were saying that the Maltese MEPs who will be elected on June 12 “will be earning a lot of money” (“li se jaqilghu balla liri”)
Since I was the first to have written locally about MEPs “perks” in The Sunday Times on November 23, 2003 (‘Race to board EU Gravy Train’), I am sure that Dr. Vella had me in mind, among a few others, when making his claim.
It is rather unfortunate that when an election draws near, quite often politicians lose their normal poise and start making wild claims. When I wrote about the EU’s ‘Gravy Train’, no one had replied and corrected what I had written. After all, what I wrote had been taken from an article written by the British Conservative MEP, Daniel Hannan, in The Sunday Telegraph. As well as from a letter sent to me by another MEP friend of mine, Graham Booth.
This is why I felt astounded that a politician of Dr Vella’s calibre, would deny what can be proven so easily, since the amount of money which MEPs receive in salary, allowances and other “perks” and benefits, are written in black on white!
As I am the sort person will never accept to have doubts cast on my integrity, may I once again give the details about the “perks” etc. which all MEPs are entitled to, so that even readers of MaltaToday may reach their own conclusion as to who is trying to pull wool over voters’ eyes:
1. MEPs salary: up to now this is equal to the salary of national MPs. There is a proposal to have the same salary for all MEPs, around Lm40,000 a year, but the European Council has not accepted this proposal or motion even though it had received the approval of the European Parliament.
2. MEPs receive around Lm59,000 a year to employ an assistant, who thus, could be their wife, husband, or some other family member or friend etc.
3. MEPs are provided with “an office in both Brussels and Strasbourg free of charge” (quote from MEP Graham Booth’s letter).
4. Telephone, water and electricity bills are inexistent for MEPs and “Office staff are paid for out of ‘Group Funding’” (another quote from Graham Booth’s letter).
5. MEPs receive a daily allowance of around Lm110 to cover accommodation and meals expenses for each day they sign in at the Brussels or Strasbourg parliaments. What they save remains in their pocket, of course! (Forget those who sign in and leave a few minutes later. They too receive their day’s allowance!)
6. Lm17,000 a year is paid to MEPs for “office expenses,” which, as I have already indicated above, are mostly paid out of ‘Group Funding’ and not by MEPs.
7. For travelling expenses, MEPs receive a standard rate, which is equal to a ‘Business Class’ ticket plus 20 percent for ancillary travel expenses. So if an MEP arranges to buy all his travel tickets from one agency, and thus gets them at a low cost. Or buys a ‘cheap flight’ ticket, he could make a good profit whenever he travels to Strasbourg or Brussels. Daniel Hannan MEP calculates that he a makes around Lm300 profit on his travels to Brussels each week! (taken from Daniel Hannan’s article in The Sunday Telegraph).
8. MEPs are entitled to buy goods ‘Duty Free,’ including cars, from certain shops in Brussels. I hardly need remind your readers that this right has been denied to the rest of us, now EU citizens too (!), as of May 1 2004, when we joined the ‘club,’ where we Maltese are the least equal to all other members!
9. MEPs are also entitled to free tram passes in Strasbourg, free use of executive lounges at most airports, free medical checks, free language and IT courses (all taken from Graham Booth’s letter).
10. They have a chauffer-driven car at their disposal to drive them to parliament and back to their hotel. As well as from the airport to their hotel, or wherever they may be staying (some MEPs stay with friends and still get their daily accommodation allowance).
11. A very attractive pension awaits MEPs on their retirement.
I guess the above is more than enough – although there is more – for readers of MaltaToday to conclude whether Dr George Vella’s claim – that MEPs will not be making a lot of money – is based on fact or was just electioneering talk.
May I also take this opportunity to invite Dr Vella, to give us all the details about the ‘perks,’ allowances, salary (and the proposal which had received the European Parliament’s approval), and other benefits etc. which MEPs are entitled to. That is, if he truly believes that what I and a few others have said about MEPs ‘perks,’ is not correct. If he remains silent – as many politicians do when they know that they may end up in political quicksand if they take up the argument – we will understand that his outburst was just an electioneering gambit – hardly what Dr. Vella is usually renowned for!
Eddy Privitera
Mosta
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