Exclusive: The Left group wants to halve MEP salaries
The proposal would slash MEPs’ net monthly salary from around €8,800 to almost €4,400, but opponents have dismissed it as a “populist stunt”.
The European Parliament's Left group is planning to propose a significant reduction in MEP (Member of European Parliament) salaries, with the aim of halving their current compensation. This move is motivated by the belief that lawmakers earning tens of thousands of euros monthly are becoming increasingly out of touch with ordinary citizens.
Currently, MEPs earn a net monthly salary of €8,772.70, plus several allowances, which bring their total monthly income to approximately €18,000. Belgian MEP Marc Botenga is the spearhead of this proposal, which would reduce the basic salary to around €4,400 a month. The amendment to the resolution on next year’s Parliament budget is set for a vote during the upcoming plenary session in Strasbourg.
According to Botenga, this move would save the Parliament over €50 million. He argues that at a time when many workers are struggling with rising costs and decreasing living standards, elected representatives should demonstrate solidarity by adopting more modest salaries. However, the proposal is expected to face opposition from other political groups, who view it as a populist tactic.
Estonian MEP Jaak Madison and German lawmaker Daniel Freund both criticized the proposal, suggesting that MEPs could demonstrate solidarity in other ways, such as by refraining from signing daily allowances.
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