
A Member of the European Parliament (English language abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union's directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. MEPs are the Europe equivalents of a country's national parliamentary members, known as Member of Parliaments in English; hence, the term Euro-MP is used colloquially in English. When Parliament was first established, MEPs were appointed by member states in national delegations. Since 1979, however, MEPs have been elected by direct universal suffrage. ==Number of MEPs== In the first direct European Parliamentary elections in 1979, 410 members were elected from the then 9 member states. This number has grown steadily with subsequent Enlargement of the European Union. The Parliament elected in 2004 has 732 members, drawn from the Union's 25 member states on a basis roughly proportional to each country's population (though by no means precisely proportional - smaller member states have a proportionally greater representation than larger ones). The maximum figure of 732 was set by the Treaty of Nice and is now intended to remain steady even after future enlargements of the Union. When new member states accede to the EU and acquire representation in Parliament, the number of MEPs elected by the existing member states will be reduced proportionally so that the limit of 732 is not exceeded. However, this figure can be exceeded temporarily during periods immediately following the accession of new member states. For instance, the highest number of MEPs ever in the parliament was a temporary 788, when parliamentarians from ten new EU member states joined on May 1, 2004. This figure was then adjusted back down to 732 in the subsequent elections on 10-13 June 2004. Similarly, the number of MEPs will rise again temporarily with future enlargements, then be reduced proportionally at subsequent elections. ==MEPs within the Parliament== Virtually all MEPs are members of cross-nationality political groups, organised according to political allegiance. For instance, the United Kingdom's Labour Party (UK) MEPs are members of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and Conservative Party (UK) MEPs are members of the European People's Party - European Democrats. However, there are considerable differences between this Group structure and most national parliaments' party structure. The rules of the Parliament state that "no member shall receive a binding mandate", and as a result, Group discipline is far laxer than most party political discipline, with national delegations and individual members sometimes voting against the Group 'line' on particular issues. Furthermore, the position taken by a Group on any given issue is determined by discussion within the Group, not handed down by the party leadership. Individual 'back-bench' MEPs do therefore have considerable influence over the development of policy within the Parliament. Aside from Group politics, individual members are also guaranteed a number of other powers and rights within the Parliament: * the right to table a motion for resolution; * the right to put questions to the leaders of the Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission; * the right to table an amendment to any text in committee; * the right to make explanations of vote; * the right to raise points of order; * the right to move the inadmissibility of a matter. ==An MEP's day job== Being an MEP is a full-time job. One week in each month is taken up with the Parliament's session in Strasbourg, and much of the remaining three weeks by committee, Group, or full Parliament meetings in Brussels. On top of all this is the need to keep in touch with constituents at home. The problems of having to travel frequently between Parliament and constituency, familiar to most national MPs, are compounded in the case of MEPs because the distances are much further. Parliamentary affairs leave only a couple of days each week for MEPs to spend time in their constituencies, during which time they must deal with individual constituents, local organisations, local and national politicians, businesses, trade unions, and so on. Because of these pressures, many MEPs do have substantial staffs to help them to respond. Many MEPs choose to make their family home in Brussels rather than in their home country, to avoid having family pressures competing with other pressures in the limited time that members are able to spend in their constituency. Because MEPs sit in a Parliament with far fewer powers than national parliaments, their public profile in their home country is typically lower than that of national parliamentarians. ==Immunities== Under the protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union, MEPs in their home country receive the same immunities as their own national parliamentarians. In other member states, MEPs are immune from detention and from legal proceedings, except when caught in the act of committing an offence. This immunity may be waived by application to the European Parliament by the authorities of the country in question. ==Salary== MEPs earn exactly the same salary as a member of their own national parliament. As a result, there is a wide range of salaries in the European Parliament. In 2002, Italian MEPs earned £78,244, while Spanish MEPs earned barely a quarter of that at £20,496. ==Expenses== Commentators in several member states (most notably Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have frequently accused MEPs of taking advantage of lucrative expense allowances for personal profit. Such criticisms typically centre on two areas: * the ''amount'' paid to MEPs as expenses; and * the ''manner'' in which it is paid. With regard to the ''amount'' paid, according to the Parliament's rules of procedure, MEPs receive allowances that are roughly equivalent to those paid to Britain Member of Parliaments. As of 2002: * British MPs received an allowance for travel around their constituencies, but MEPs did not, despite the fact that their constituencies were much larger. * British MPs were paid a lump sum of just under £19,500 for accommodation at seat of Parliament, regardless of the time they actually spent there. MEPs received £150 per day attended and were required to sign in to prove attendance. * Both British MPs and MEPs were paid travel expenses for journeys from constituencies to Parliament. Contrary to widespread rumours, MEPs received 'YY economy class' air fares paid, not first class, plus an allowance per kilometre for the trip from their home to the airport. Only one journey was allowed per week. * British MPs were given first class rail tickets for spouse and children to Westminster up to thirty times per year. MEPs had no such allowance. * British MPs were given two return tickets per year to any EU parliament or the European Parliament itself. MEPs had no such allowance. * British MPs received unlimited travel expenses around the UK on parliamentary business. MEPs were given a similar allowance, but this was limited to £2,170 per year, plus an extra allowance if they needed to return home midweek. * British MPs and MEPs both received an office allowance. MEPs were paid 44% more than MPs, but this had to include postage and all equipment, whereas MPs also received unlimited free postage and free computers. * British MPs and MEPs both had a staff allowance. MEPs received 30% more than MPs, but their staffs are typically larger, and this amount had to cover staff pensions, temporary replacements for illness, redundancy costs at end of mandate, staff travel, insurance, administration, and employer's liability. MPs had those provided for free on top of their allowance. * At the end of their mandates, British MPs received four months of office allowances, while MEPs received three. With regard to the ''manner'' in which it is paid, complaints are often raised about the fact that MEPs' flights to and from Brussels are paid at a flat rate, regardless of the expenditure actually incurred. The price paid is for economy travel, not first-class, but nevertheless this value often amounts to significantly more than the actual price of travel with one of the many budget airlines that serve Brussels. Another area of concern is the fact that MEPs' accounts are currently audited on a spot-check basis, not a universal one. Feeling this to be insufficient, some members voluntarily submit their accounts for a full independent audit annually. ===Reform of salary and expenses=== Parliament has repeatedly expressed a will to reform its salary and expenses package, most recently in a resolution adopted on 22 April 2004. However, because agreement is needed from both the Parliament and the Council of the European Union, resolution has so far proven impossible. Those countries whose MEPs would receive a pay increase as a result of salary harmonisation - notably Germany - have repeatedly vetoed these proposals in Council. [http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1098127_1_A,00.html] The arrangement by which each MEP receives the same salary as a member of his own national parliament was originally intended as a stop-gap measure while a unified rate was agreed. But this has become a serious sticking-point in the Parliament. By law, salaries should be harmonised so that all MEPs receive the same, but this has proved politically difficult. Any figure selected (for instance, the average of current rates) would mean a big cut for some and a big increase for others, which is hard to justify. A recent proposal was to fix the salary at half that of a judge at the European Court of Justice. When this was first suggested two years ago, it was, on average, only a slight increase for MEPs; but the measure has not yet been agreed, and the pay rise would be much more substantial if it were implemented now. A possible flat salary of € 90 000 has recently been proposed, but this was rejected. ==Financial interests== Members declare their financial interests, which are published annually in a register and available on the Internet. ==Information about individual members== ===Members' experience=== Around a third of MEPs have previously held national parliamentary mandates, and over 10% have ministerial experience at a national level. Among the 177 MEPs with such experience elected in 1999 were six prime ministers and three former members of the European Commission. Many more MEPs have held office at a regional level in their home countries. Current MEPs also include former judges, trade union leaders, media personalities, actors, soldiers, singers, athletes, and political activists. Many outgoing MEPs move into other political office. A remarkably high proportion of European countries' recent heads of government have previously served in the Parliament. ===Dual mandates=== The so-called ''dual mandate'', where an individual is a member of both his or her national parliament and the European Parliament, is officially discouraged and has been prohibited by a number of EU countries, most recently Italy. Despite this, a small and dwindling number of members do hold a dual mandate; for example, Sarah Ludford MEP and Emma Nicholson MEP (both Liberal Democrats (UK) who also sit in the House of Lords). ===Gender balance=== Around a third of MEPs are women, a higher percentage than most national parliaments. This figure varies considerably among the various national delegations, however. Of United Kingdom members, for instance, approaching half of the Labour Party (UK) MEPs are female, compared to only about 8% of Conservative Party (UK) members. ===Length of service=== Generally speaking, the European Parliament has a remarkably high turnover of MEPs. For instance, after the 2004 elections, the majority of elected members had not been members in the prior Parliamentary session. Only 14 of them have served continuously since the first elections in 1979, and not one has served continuously for longer. ==References== * ''The European Parliament'' (fifth edition, 2003), by Richard Corbett, Francis Jacobs and Michael Shackleton. ''See also: :Category:Members of the European Parliament'' European Parliament European Union officials
Wow, a lot of additional information! But isn't this a bit British-centric? -- User:Tillwe 12:59, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC) :Yes, good point! Admittedly, I'm a Brit, so that's my area of expertise. I've had a look over and modified some of the slightly more blatant Britain-only references. But if someone were to make it more international by adding in some information from other countries, that would be great. I'm not sure what to do with the big expenses section. I think a comparison of MEP expenses with national parliamentarians' expenses is useful, but I take the point that it's a bit UK-centric at the moment. Any ideas? User:Randywombat 13:10, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC) == Expense section == ''Moved expense section and allegation that it is untrue to talk page'' -- User:Tillwe 08:33, 21 Apr 2004 (UTC) :It was right to move this over here temporarily. My view, for what it's worth: it's the initial paragraph ("The right-wing press of several member states"...) which is perceived as POV, while the bullet points about MEPs' expenses are purely factual (based on the Parliament's rules of procedure). So I suggest that the bullet points are restored, while the initial paragraph is rewritten to be more satisfactorily NPOV. A sub-section on 'debates about expenses', presenting both sides of the argument about whether MEPs are overpaid/can fiddle the system or whatever, would also be worthwhile. What do people think? User:Randywombat 09:04, 21 Apr 2004 (UTC) ---- ====Expenses==== The right-wing press of several member states (notably Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have frequently accused MEPs of taking advantage of lucrative expense allowances for personal profit. While the level of expenses paid to any politician is always open to debate, in fact MEPs receive allowances that are in fact roughly equivalent to those paid to Britain Member of Parliaments. The detail is complicated because the categories and the methods of payment are slightly different. As of 2002: * MPs received an allowance for travel around their constituencies, but MEPs did not, despite the fact that their constituencies were much larger. * MPs were paid a lump sum of just under £19,500 for accommodation at seat of Parliament, regardless of the time they actually spent there. MEPs received £150 per day attended and were required to sign in to prove attendance. * Both MPs and MEPs were paid travel expenses for journeys from constituencies to Parliament. Contrary to widespread rumours, MEPs received 'YY economy class' air fares paid, not first class, plus an allowance per kilometre for the trip from their home to the airport. Only one journey was allowed per week. * MPs were given first class rail tickets for spouse and children to Westminster up to thirty times per year. MEPs had no such allowance. * MPs were given two return tickets per year to any EU parliament or the European Parliament itself. MEPs had no such allowance. * MPs received unlimited travel expenses around the UK on parliamentary business. MEPs were given a similar allowance, but this was limited to £2,170 per year, plus an extra allowance if they needed to return home midweek. * MPs and MEPs both received an office allowance. MEPs were paid 44% more than MPs, but this had to include postage and all equipment, whereas MPs also received unlimited free postage and free computers. * MPs and MEPs both had a staff allowance. MEPs received 30% more than MPs, but their staffs are typically larger, and this amount had to cover staff pensions, temporary replacements for illness, redundancy costs at end of mandate, staff travel, insurance, administration, and employer's liability. MPs had those provided for free on top of their allowance. * At the end of their mandates, MPs received four months of office allowances, while MEPs received three. MEPs' accounts are currently audited on a spot-check basis. (Feeling this to be insufficient, some members voluntarily submit their accounts for a full independent audit annually.) ---- Note: the expenses section is untrue - "right-wing press" indeed. Any GOOGLE search will show that the outrageous filght expenses scam still exists: the latest proposal to change it was vioted down in January 2004: an example: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1098127_1_A,00.html "Germany and three other EU states have blocked an attempt to reform the pay system for European parliamentarians, meaning it's now unlikely that a reform package will be passed before EU-wide elections in June. Efforts to reform the European Parliament's pay system for its deputies have been under way since 1998. But there's still no end in sight, following the collapse of pay reform talks in Brussels on Monday. The majority of members of the European parliament (MEP's) would welcome reforms. The system has earned itself a bad reputation for being open to fraud. The expenses system is not based on actual costs supported by receipts. An MEP who flies to Brussels with a budget airline, for example, could get away with claiming the highest air fare, thereby pocketing the difference." (from article page, 21-04-2004) ====Expenses re-added==== I've restored the disputed expenses section, NPOVed as far as I can see. As discussed above, the list of what MEPs receive by way of expenses is purely factual, and, I think, useful to inform the debate. The surrounding comments need to be carefully NPOVed. I've added in a remark about the air-fare debate and also added some more detail about why reform hasn't yet taken place. All corrections, comments or edits are very welcome. User:Randywombat 10:31, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC) ====Length of Service==== ''Only 14 of them ''[MEPs]'' have served continuously since the first elections in 1979, and not one has served continuously for longer.'' Am I not understanding this sentence right? The second clause seems redundant. How could any MEP have served continously for longer than from the first election until the present? :Because Parliament existed before there were elections. Back in the 50s and 60s, when Parliament had little legislative power, MEPs were delegated by national parliaments, not directly elected. User:Randywombat 10:22, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC) == Salaries == Should the example salaries be in Euros instead of pounds? Just a crazy thought I had. User:RMG 02:22, 10 Oct 2004 (UTC) :Yes, I thought of that too. We could do a conversion, but the answers wouldn't be exactly right. User:Randywombat 12:22, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::Actualy the salaries bit is just plain wrong. This used to be the case, but starting about a year ago, all MEPs are given the exact same salary! User:Wlievens 23:12, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC) :::It appears I am just plain wrong, as I continued to read the article :-) User:Wlievens 23:20, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC) ==Minor confusion== The third paragraph reads "On the July 2009 European Parliament election," which reads ambiguously to me -- sounds like it's discussing the results of an election which hasn't happened yet. I just don't know enough about this topic to know what the proper simple copyedit would be. User:CatherineMunro\User_talk:CatherineMunro ">User:CatherineMunro|User:CatherineMunro\User_talk:CatherineMunro 22:15, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
:My edits today have fixed this. Thought, though: does the section about the number of MEPs belong on the European Parliament page rather than here? User:Randywombat 22:35, 25 Nov 2004 (UTC)
== More confusion ==
"''MEPs are the European equivalents of a country's national parliamentary members...''"
I don't know if people realize this, but there are more than a hundred million europeans that are not EU citizens. Not only in eastern Europe, but also in northern Europe and Switzerland (and the Vatican). EU is not Europe. I think that the centence above is misleading and untruthfull. --User:Jogvanj 12:53, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Member_of_the_European_Parliament:
Member_of_the_European_Parliament
Member_of_the_European_Parliament
Member_of_the_European_Parliament,
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (English language abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union's directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. MEPs are the Europe equivalents of a country's national parliamentary members, known as Member of Parliaments in English; hence, the term Euro-MP is used colloquially in English. When Parliament was first established, MEPs were appointed by member states in national delegations. Since 1979, however, MEPs have been elected by direct universal suffrage. ==Number of MEPs== In the first direct European Parliamentary elections in 1979, 410 members were elected from the then 9 member states. This number has grown steadily with subsequent Enlargement of the European Union. The Parliament elected in 2004 has 732 members, drawn from the Union's 25 member states on a basis roughly proportional to each country's population (though by no means precisely proportional - smaller member states have a proportionally greater representation than larger ones). The maximum figure of 732 was set by the Treaty of Nice and is now intended to remain steady even after future enlargements of the Union. When new member states accede to the EU and acquire representation in Parliament, the number of MEPs elected by the existing member states will be reduced proportionally so that the limit of 732 is not exceeded. However, this figure can be exceeded temporarily during periods immediately following the accession of new member states. For instance, the highest number of MEPs ever in the parliament was a temporary 788, when parliamentarians from ten new EU member states joined on May 1, 2004. This figure was then adjusted back down to 732 in the subsequent elections on 10-13 June 2004. Similarly, the number of MEPs will rise again temporarily with future enlargements, then be reduced proportionally at subsequent elections. ==MEPs within the Parliament== Virtually all MEPs are members of cross-nationality political groups, organised according to political allegiance. For instance, the United Kingdom's Labour Party (UK) MEPs are members of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and Conservative Party (UK) MEPs are members of the European People's Party - European Democrats. However, there are considerable differences between this Group structure and most national parliaments' party structure. The rules of the Parliament state that "no member shall receive a binding mandate", and as a result, Group discipline is far laxer than most party political discipline, with national delegations and individual members sometimes voting against the Group 'line' on particular issues. Furthermore, the position taken by a Group on any given issue is determined by discussion within the Group, not handed down by the party leadership. Individual 'back-bench' MEPs do therefore have considerable influence over the development of policy within the Parliament. Aside from Group politics, individual members are also guaranteed a number of other powers and rights within the Parliament: * the right to table a motion for resolution; * the right to put questions to the leaders of the Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission; * the right to table an amendment to any text in committee; * the right to make explanations of vote; * the right to raise points of order; * the right to move the inadmissibility of a matter. ==An MEP's day job== Being an MEP is a full-time job. One week in each month is taken up with the Parliament's session in Strasbourg, and much of the remaining three weeks by committee, Group, or full Parliament meetings in Brussels. On top of all this is the need to keep in touch with constituents at home. The problems of having to travel frequently between Parliament and constituency, familiar to most national MPs, are compounded in the case of MEPs because the distances are much further. Parliamentary affairs leave only a couple of days each week for MEPs to spend time in their constituencies, during which time they must deal with individual constituents, local organisations, local and national politicians, businesses, trade unions, and so on. Because of these pressures, many MEPs do have substantial staffs to help them to respond. Many MEPs choose to make their family home in Brussels rather than in their home country, to avoid having family pressures competing with other pressures in the limited time that members are able to spend in their constituency. Because MEPs sit in a Parliament with far fewer powers than national parliaments, their public profile in their home country is typically lower than that of national parliamentarians. ==Immunities== Under the protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union, MEPs in their home country receive the same immunities as their own national parliamentarians. In other member states, MEPs are immune from detention and from legal proceedings, except when caught in the act of committing an offence. This immunity may be waived by application to the European Parliament by the authorities of the country in question. ==Salary== MEPs earn exactly the same salary as a member of their own national parliament. As a result, there is a wide range of salaries in the European Parliament. In 2002, Italian MEPs earned £78,244, while Spanish MEPs earned barely a quarter of that at £20,496. ==Expenses== Commentators in several member states (most notably Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have frequently accused MEPs of taking advantage of lucrative expense allowances for personal profit. Such criticisms typically centre on two areas: * the ''amount'' paid to MEPs as expenses; and * the ''manner'' in which it is paid. With regard to the ''amount'' paid, according to the Parliament's rules of procedure, MEPs receive allowances that are roughly equivalent to those paid to Britain Member of Parliaments. As of 2002: * British MPs received an allowance for travel around their constituencies, but MEPs did not, despite the fact that their constituencies were much larger. * British MPs were paid a lump sum of just under £19,500 for accommodation at seat of Parliament, regardless of the time they actually spent there. MEPs received £150 per day attended and were required to sign in to prove attendance. * Both British MPs and MEPs were paid travel expenses for journeys from constituencies to Parliament. Contrary to widespread rumours, MEPs received 'YY economy class' air fares paid, not first class, plus an allowance per kilometre for the trip from their home to the airport. Only one journey was allowed per week. * British MPs were given first class rail tickets for spouse and children to Westminster up to thirty times per year. MEPs had no such allowance. * British MPs were given two return tickets per year to any EU parliament or the European Parliament itself. MEPs had no such allowance. * British MPs received unlimited travel expenses around the UK on parliamentary business. MEPs were given a similar allowance, but this was limited to £2,170 per year, plus an extra allowance if they needed to return home midweek. * British MPs and MEPs both received an office allowance. MEPs were paid 44% more than MPs, but this had to include postage and all equipment, whereas MPs also received unlimited free postage and free computers. * British MPs and MEPs both had a staff allowance. MEPs received 30% more than MPs, but their staffs are typically larger, and this amount had to cover staff pensions, temporary replacements for illness, redundancy costs at end of mandate, staff travel, insurance, administration, and employer's liability. MPs had those provided for free on top of their allowance. * At the end of their mandates, British MPs received four months of office allowances, while MEPs received three. With regard to the ''manner'' in which it is paid, complaints are often raised about the fact that MEPs' flights to and from Brussels are paid at a flat rate, regardless of the expenditure actually incurred. The price paid is for economy travel, not first-class, but nevertheless this value often amounts to significantly more than the actual price of travel with one of the many budget airlines that serve Brussels. Another area of concern is the fact that MEPs' accounts are currently audited on a spot-check basis, not a universal one. Feeling this to be insufficient, some members voluntarily submit their accounts for a full independent audit annually. ===Reform of salary and expenses=== Parliament has repeatedly expressed a will to reform its salary and expenses package, most recently in a resolution adopted on 22 April 2004. However, because agreement is needed from both the Parliament and the Council of the European Union, resolution has so far proven impossible. Those countries whose MEPs would receive a pay increase as a result of salary harmonisation - notably Germany - have repeatedly vetoed these proposals in Council. [http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1098127_1_A,00.html] The arrangement by which each MEP receives the same salary as a member of his own national parliament was originally intended as a stop-gap measure while a unified rate was agreed. But this has become a serious sticking-point in the Parliament. By law, salaries should be harmonised so that all MEPs receive the same, but this has proved politically difficult. Any figure selected (for instance, the average of current rates) would mean a big cut for some and a big increase for others, which is hard to justify. A recent proposal was to fix the salary at half that of a judge at the European Court of Justice. When this was first suggested two years ago, it was, on average, only a slight increase for MEPs; but the measure has not yet been agreed, and the pay rise would be much more substantial if it were implemented now. A possible flat salary of € 90 000 has recently been proposed, but this was rejected. ==Financial interests== Members declare their financial interests, which are published annually in a register and available on the Internet. ==Information about individual members== ===Members' experience=== Around a third of MEPs have previously held national parliamentary mandates, and over 10% have ministerial experience at a national level. Among the 177 MEPs with such experience elected in 1999 were six prime ministers and three former members of the European Commission. Many more MEPs have held office at a regional level in their home countries. Current MEPs also include former judges, trade union leaders, media personalities, actors, soldiers, singers, athletes, and political activists. Many outgoing MEPs move into other political office. A remarkably high proportion of European countries' recent heads of government have previously served in the Parliament. ===Dual mandates=== The so-called ''dual mandate'', where an individual is a member of both his or her national parliament and the European Parliament, is officially discouraged and has been prohibited by a number of EU countries, most recently Italy. Despite this, a small and dwindling number of members do hold a dual mandate; for example, Sarah Ludford MEP and Emma Nicholson MEP (both Liberal Democrats (UK) who also sit in the House of Lords). ===Gender balance=== Around a third of MEPs are women, a higher percentage than most national parliaments. This figure varies considerably among the various national delegations, however. Of United Kingdom members, for instance, approaching half of the Labour Party (UK) MEPs are female, compared to only about 8% of Conservative Party (UK) members. ===Length of service=== Generally speaking, the European Parliament has a remarkably high turnover of MEPs. For instance, after the 2004 elections, the majority of elected members had not been members in the prior Parliamentary session. Only 14 of them have served continuously since the first elections in 1979, and not one has served continuously for longer. ==References== * ''The European Parliament'' (fifth edition, 2003), by Richard Corbett, Francis Jacobs and Michael Shackleton. ''See also: :Category:Members of the European Parliament'' European Parliament European Union officials
Member of the European Parliament
Wow, a lot of additional information! But isn't this a bit British-centric? -- User:Tillwe 12:59, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC) :Yes, good point! Admittedly, I'm a Brit, so that's my area of expertise. I've had a look over and modified some of the slightly more blatant Britain-only references. But if someone were to make it more international by adding in some information from other countries, that would be great. I'm not sure what to do with the big expenses section. I think a comparison of MEP expenses with national parliamentarians' expenses is useful, but I take the point that it's a bit UK-centric at the moment. Any ideas? User:Randywombat 13:10, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC) == Expense section == ''Moved expense section and allegation that it is untrue to talk page'' -- User:Tillwe 08:33, 21 Apr 2004 (UTC) :It was right to move this over here temporarily. My view, for what it's worth: it's the initial paragraph ("The right-wing press of several member states"...) which is perceived as POV, while the bullet points about MEPs' expenses are purely factual (based on the Parliament's rules of procedure). So I suggest that the bullet points are restored, while the initial paragraph is rewritten to be more satisfactorily NPOV. A sub-section on 'debates about expenses', presenting both sides of the argument about whether MEPs are overpaid/can fiddle the system or whatever, would also be worthwhile. What do people think? User:Randywombat 09:04, 21 Apr 2004 (UTC) ---- ====Expenses==== The right-wing press of several member states (notably Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have frequently accused MEPs of taking advantage of lucrative expense allowances for personal profit. While the level of expenses paid to any politician is always open to debate, in fact MEPs receive allowances that are in fact roughly equivalent to those paid to Britain Member of Parliaments. The detail is complicated because the categories and the methods of payment are slightly different. As of 2002: * MPs received an allowance for travel around their constituencies, but MEPs did not, despite the fact that their constituencies were much larger. * MPs were paid a lump sum of just under £19,500 for accommodation at seat of Parliament, regardless of the time they actually spent there. MEPs received £150 per day attended and were required to sign in to prove attendance. * Both MPs and MEPs were paid travel expenses for journeys from constituencies to Parliament. Contrary to widespread rumours, MEPs received 'YY economy class' air fares paid, not first class, plus an allowance per kilometre for the trip from their home to the airport. Only one journey was allowed per week. * MPs were given first class rail tickets for spouse and children to Westminster up to thirty times per year. MEPs had no such allowance. * MPs were given two return tickets per year to any EU parliament or the European Parliament itself. MEPs had no such allowance. * MPs received unlimited travel expenses around the UK on parliamentary business. MEPs were given a similar allowance, but this was limited to £2,170 per year, plus an extra allowance if they needed to return home midweek. * MPs and MEPs both received an office allowance. MEPs were paid 44% more than MPs, but this had to include postage and all equipment, whereas MPs also received unlimited free postage and free computers. * MPs and MEPs both had a staff allowance. MEPs received 30% more than MPs, but their staffs are typically larger, and this amount had to cover staff pensions, temporary replacements for illness, redundancy costs at end of mandate, staff travel, insurance, administration, and employer's liability. MPs had those provided for free on top of their allowance. * At the end of their mandates, MPs received four months of office allowances, while MEPs received three. MEPs' accounts are currently audited on a spot-check basis. (Feeling this to be insufficient, some members voluntarily submit their accounts for a full independent audit annually.) ---- Note: the expenses section is untrue - "right-wing press" indeed. Any GOOGLE search will show that the outrageous filght expenses scam still exists: the latest proposal to change it was vioted down in January 2004: an example: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1098127_1_A,00.html "Germany and three other EU states have blocked an attempt to reform the pay system for European parliamentarians, meaning it's now unlikely that a reform package will be passed before EU-wide elections in June. Efforts to reform the European Parliament's pay system for its deputies have been under way since 1998. But there's still no end in sight, following the collapse of pay reform talks in Brussels on Monday. The majority of members of the European parliament (MEP's) would welcome reforms. The system has earned itself a bad reputation for being open to fraud. The expenses system is not based on actual costs supported by receipts. An MEP who flies to Brussels with a budget airline, for example, could get away with claiming the highest air fare, thereby pocketing the difference." (from article page, 21-04-2004) ====Expenses re-added==== I've restored the disputed expenses section, NPOVed as far as I can see. As discussed above, the list of what MEPs receive by way of expenses is purely factual, and, I think, useful to inform the debate. The surrounding comments need to be carefully NPOVed. I've added in a remark about the air-fare debate and also added some more detail about why reform hasn't yet taken place. All corrections, comments or edits are very welcome. User:Randywombat 10:31, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC) ====Length of Service==== ''Only 14 of them ''[MEPs]'' have served continuously since the first elections in 1979, and not one has served continuously for longer.'' Am I not understanding this sentence right? The second clause seems redundant. How could any MEP have served continously for longer than from the first election until the present? :Because Parliament existed before there were elections. Back in the 50s and 60s, when Parliament had little legislative power, MEPs were delegated by national parliaments, not directly elected. User:Randywombat 10:22, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC) == Salaries == Should the example salaries be in Euros instead of pounds? Just a crazy thought I had. User:RMG 02:22, 10 Oct 2004 (UTC) :Yes, I thought of that too. We could do a conversion, but the answers wouldn't be exactly right. User:Randywombat 12:22, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::Actualy the salaries bit is just plain wrong. This used to be the case, but starting about a year ago, all MEPs are given the exact same salary! User:Wlievens 23:12, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC) :::It appears I am just plain wrong, as I continued to read the article :-) User:Wlievens 23:20, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC) ==Minor confusion== The third paragraph reads "On the July 2009 European Parliament election," which reads ambiguously to me -- sounds like it's discussing the results of an election which hasn't happened yet. I just don't know enough about this topic to know what the proper simple copyedit would be. User:CatherineMunro\
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
M
MA | MB | MC | MD | ME | MF | MG | MH | MI | MJ | MK | ML | MN | MO | MP | MR | MS | MT | MU | MW | MX | MY | MZ |Words begining with Member_of_the_European_Parliament:
Member_of_the_European_Parliament
Member_of_the_European_Parliament
Member_of_the_European_Parliament,
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