| ECI proposal: Reduction of wages and surcharges of European officials, members of the EP and EC. |
| Status quo: MPs earn an average of 878 percent more than EU citizens (1) |
| The President of the European Commission Barroso earns € 25,351.00 gross per month. Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the EU, earns € 23,882.00 gross per month. In the European Commission are eight vice presidents each earning € 22,963.00 per month. The other commissioners earn € 20,667.00 per month. |
| The salary for members of the European Parliament is net € 6,200.72 per month. In addition each member of the European Parliament gets a daily allowance of € 304.00 for attending. An MP gets this fee by drawing an attendance list. In addition, members of the European Parliament receive compensation for office expenses of € 4,299.00 per month. |
| There are approximately 55,000 employs in European institutions. About 33,000 officials are working for the European Commission. 6000 officials are working at the European Parliament. The other 16,000 people are employee at one of the other institutions and agencies of the European Union. |
| Cause: Instead of an institution for and from EU-citizens the EU is managed as a ‘corporation’. All EU institutions have developed their salary according to the German wage norm, because it is the highest salary in Europe. |
| Goal of this ECI: Reduction wages and office expenses to the standards of national parliaments, elimination of daily subsistence allowances. |
| Comparison study: EU income Atlas has huge salary gap: MPs earn an average of 878 percent more than EU citizens |
| Exemplary detail: On 9 March 2010 the Dutch MEP Van der Stoep collided with Martin Schulz, the leader of the Party of European Socialists in the European Parliament, when during a debate he called the President of the European Commission to account for the fact that he had declared more than 700,000 euros in a year. According to Van der Stoep Schulz had then called him a fascist. |
| info: (1) Study Salary Atlas in the 27 EU countries: MPs earn an average of 878 % more than EU citizens |
| info: Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament with respect to financial interests and conflicts of interest |
