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| Europe |
| EU governments scupper chance to halt gravy train |
| 2004-01-27 |
| EFL Long-running attempts to clean up the European parliament’s notorious "gravy train" image were scuppered yesterday when EU governments blocked a new pay and perks package for MEPs. Germany, the EU’s increasingly reluctant paymaster, refused to fund standardised salaries which were due to be introduced before 12 new countries - and their Euro-MPs - join the club in May. Denis MacShane, Britain’s Europe minister, criticised "outrageous" lobbying against the proposed changes by conservative German MEPs. Euro-MPs have argued for five years over lavish no-questions-asked expenses which have left them open to charges of feathering their nests at taxpayers’ expense. They finally struck a compromise deal last month. "The turkeys," one triumphant campaigner said at the time, "have voted for Christmas." But the last word rested with member states’ foreign ministers, who balked at picking up the tab for salary reforms, thus blocking moves to crack down on expenses abuse. Yesterday’s failure leaves the parliament, the EU’s only directly elected body, likely to face even greater apathy in June’s European elections. Last time round, in 1999, only 24% of Britons bothered to vote. France, Sweden and Austria backed Germany, citing added costs at a time of economic belt-tightening. The outcome means that the 626 MEPs - rising to 732 in June - will continue to be paid under the old system, with MEPs earning the same as their counterparts in national parliaments. At present the 87 Italian members are the best paid, at €12,000 (£8,280) a month, against €2,600 for their Spanish counterparts. Germany protested that the plan, which would have paid a monthly salary of €8,600 to each MEP, would cost German taxpayers up to €100m a year. Opponents also argued that the proposal would have created an unacceptably large earnings gap between MEPs and their counterparts in most national parliaments, especially in the eight former communist ones joining the EU in May. In Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia and Estonia, national MPs earn between €800 and €1,500 a month. The pay reform was linked to ending a system under which MEPs can claim unmonitored expenses. Typically, this involves charging for a full fare on a flight to parliament sessions in Strasbourg or Brussels, flying on a budget airline, and pocketing the difference, which can add up to €15,000 a year. The reform would also have allowed governments to apply national income taxes on top of a low EU tax rate. Mr MacShane said parliament had a final chance to reform the system before enlargement went ahead on May 1. "It must move decisively now to implement a regulation that stops the abuse of travel expenses that allow MEPs to claim huge amounts of cash for travel without producing receipts for their airline tickets," he said. "I urge MEPs to send out a clear signal to voters that the European parliament is the cleanest parliament in the world and to end their unacceptable and indefensible abuse of travel expenses." I hear a sucking sound. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #5 Very high brow! Bravo! |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-28 1:33:17 AM |
| #4 Shipman, no matter what you do the minature chuck wagon will still make it into the cupboard under the sink before the dog catches it. If I've watched it once, I've watched it 100 times. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-27 10:01:32 PM |
| #3 Damn! I say uncouple the gravy train from Euro political inside gamesmanship. And then when all is calm PINCER THE BASTARDS. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-27 5:08:48 PM |
| #2 Also a way of saying "toss it overboard". |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-1-27 1:27:31 PM |
| #1 Scupper, drainage opening in a deck or flat roof. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-27 11:52:30 AM |