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"We have to take public transport. Is that the protection that you think we are worthy of?"
A German MEP whines he can no longer claim his daily allowances, or use the European Parliament's limo service during Belgium's lockdown. Not a good look at all. #EU https://twitter.com/EP_Speeches/status/1326536598565969920
"We have to take public transport. Is that the protection that you think we are worthy of?"
A German MEP whines he can no longer claim his daily allowances, or use the European Parliament's limo service during Belgium's lockdown. Not a good look at all. #EU https://twitter.com/EP_Speeches/status/1326536598565969920
The European Parliament administration decided two weeks ago it wanted to discourage MEPs from coming to Brussels, given the rising infection rates in the Belgian capital. Most meetings will take place online and MEPs will forgo the €313 daily allowance just for turning up.
It means no more chauffeurs either. As @tarapalmeri revealed for @POLITICOEurope back in 2016, the EP splurged an additional €3million on creating a limo service for MEPs. The idea was "the improvement of the security of Members.” https://www.politico.eu/article/meps-stretch-the-budget-for-limos-and-drivers-european-parliament-spending-brussels-strasbourg/
All this as Europe has suffered one of its worst economic turndowns since the Second World War. But what about limos and per diems for MEPs?!??
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Unemployment_statistics
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Unemployment_statistics
Just to bring the likes of @MarkusFerber back to planet Earth. Here are the minimum welfare social welfare payments in France. A single mother of two would get just over 1000 euros per month. Just 3-4 days of per diems for an MEP.
German MEP @gunnar_beck wrote to @EP_President David Sassoli to say that it is unfair on frontline healthcare workers and those who are in fear of losing their jobs "when MEPs and parliamentary officials, on generally higher wages, are told to retreat into salaried hibernation."
An EU diplomat points out that the per diem has now gone up to 323 euros a day. I was quoting numbers from 2018. Apologies for the mistake!
Shouldn't tar every parliamentarian with the same brush, of course. There are lots of very good MEPs who work hard. But speeches like the one above are a terrible advert for the @Europarl_EN.
"It is unfair for us to have be (sic) deprived of the perdiems we are entitled to," wrote far-right Greek MEP Ioannis Lagos of Golden Dawn in an email to all EP staffers two weeks ago.
