At the Cardiff Summit, EU leaders closely questioned Parliament's President Jose Maria Gil Robles about the expenses and allowances of MEPs, leading to a wealth of critical banner headlines.
Parliament's governing Bureau, meanwhile, has announced its determination to push for a "Common Statute", that is a single set of working conditions, legal status, salary and allowances for MEPs of all nationalities. At present, MEPs' salaries are the same as for national MPs, and so vary from around £67,000 a year in Austria to around £20,000 a year in Spain. Irish members MEPs get £36,000 and UK MEPs get £44,000 a year.
A draft proposal for a common system has already been submitted to the Bureau by Vice-President David Martin, who is also proposing that allowances be based on expenditure actually incurred. Parliament endorsed this approach in a resolution adopted on the Cardiff Summit, further reinforcing the pressure for change. In the debate on the Summit, Tony Blair reaffirmed his support for reforming the system, which he felt had brought discredit on the EU.
