They are elected every five years to represent their country in the European Parliament. They may live far from home, but the privileges granted to MEPs could easily be described as "golden".
As soon as the MEPs are elected, they open a chest with fat salaries and benefits that look like a dream to those who fight with a basic salary of 650 euros (gross), as is the case in Greece.
In some countries the polls have already opened, while in Greece they open in a few hours. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament represent around 500 million people from the 28 Member States, of which 21 MEPs for Greece.
So whoever is elected to European Parliament earns 81.888 euros per year, has housing and office allowance and among other things receives a daily allowance of 320 euros.
So let's look at the golden privileges of MEPs.
Salary
MEPs receive the same salary, under the single regime, which came into force in July 2009, according to the European Parliament on its website.
The monthly gross salary is 8.757,70 euros, paid from Parliament's budget and subject to EU tax and insurance contributions, after which the net amount reaches 6.824,85 euros. Member States may also further tax the salary. Members of the European Parliament are entitled to 38,5% of judges' salaries.
Syntax
According to the statutes, former MEPs are entitled to a pension from the age of 63. The pension is equal to 3,5% of the salary for each year of service in the European Parliament, with a maximum of 70% of the salary.
Reimbursement of overheads
As with the Members of Parliament of each country, the Members of the European Parliament are paid to cover their personal expenses during the performance of their duties. The compensation of general expenses, as it is called, amounts to 2019 euros for 4,513.
This amount is given, as reported to the European Parliament, for office costs, telephone and postage, as well as for the operation and maintenance of technological equipment. This amount is halved if MEPs, without good reason, do not attend half of the plenary sessions in a parliamentary year, set from September to August.
Travel expenses
Most meetings of the European Parliament, such as plenary sessions, committee and political group meetings, take place in Brussels or Strasbourg. In MEPs, After submitting all the relevant documents, the actual price of the ticket for the trip to the country of meeting is refunded.
The amount given concerns business class on the plane, first place on the train or 0,53 euros per kilometer on a car trip (maximum distance 1.000 km).
There is also a flat-rate compensation based on the distance and duration of the trip to cover expenses such as tolls on motorways, extra charges for overweight luggage or booking fees.
MEPs are often invited to travel in and out of the Member State in which they were elected, both for the performance of their official duties and for other purposes (for example, attending a conference or attending a working visit). For activities outside their Member State of election, MEPs are given a maximum annual amount of 4.454 euros. They can use the vehicles available to the European Parliament for their internal travel to Brussels or Strasbourg.
Personal expenses
The European Parliament pays a daily allowance of € 320 for accommodation, food and other expenses, provided that MEPs submit the corresponding receipts.
If a Member does not take part in more than half of the roll-call votes then the amount of 320 euros is reduced by half. In case of meetings organized outside the European Union the compensation amounts to 160 euros, while the accommodation expenses are reimbursed separately.
Office staffing
Members of the European Parliament are free to choose their partners within the limits of the budget set by Parliament.
In 2019, the maximum amount available for this purpose is 24.943 euros per MEP, but he does not receive this money. The amount is given in part as a salary to the employees of the office who have the necessary qualifications and in part to the competent tax authorities.
There are several categories of assistant employees:
A) The accredited on Brussels, in Luxembourg or Strasbourg. 25% of the total budget can be used for their payroll. Each MEP can have three and in some cases four associates.
B) The local assistants. The total expenditure for them should not exceed 75% of the parliamentary assistance allowance.
For the local assistants of the Greek MEPs, the maximum salaries cannot exceed 5.480 euros gross.
The maximum-gross- salaries of local assistants may not exceed on average the following ceilings:
Maximum amounts in local currency