MEPs to get big rise in pay for assistants

MEPs are set to award themselves an extra €18,000 per year to spend on assistants, leaving each MEP with a €275,000 budget for staff - and taxpayers facing a €1bn bill over a five-year term.

The 7 per cent increase is the first rise in MEP's staff budgets since 2011 and is expected to be agreed on Thursday. It will bring total potential spending on assistants in the parliament by its 751 MEPs to more than €206m per year.

German MEPs, who have been at the forefront of Brussels' call for austerity by European governments, have been among the most vociferous campaigners for higher staffing allowances.

The centre-right EPP group, which is the largest in parliament and backed the selection of Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president, had initially argued for an extra €36,000 per year per MEP.

The left of centre Social & Democrats supported a more modest increase of €18,000 per year, which is set to be approved by a budget committee later this week, according to people familiar with the situation. Other groups, such as the Greens, opposed any rise at all.

Assistant pay has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks after Olaf, the EU's anti-fraud body, launched an investigation into 20 MEP assistants from the French far-right group National Front. The assistants were accused of breaking the parliament's rules by working on national campaigns.

MEPs have leeway in how they spend the allowances for staff, which will rise to just under €23,000 per month from 2016.

Legislators can hire up to three assistants in Brussels and an unlimited number of local assistants. This has led to some MEPs in eastern Europe, where wages are much lower, employing dozens of local assistants.

By contrast other MEPs, such as Ukip leader Nigel Farage, have no assistants based in Brussels and only one based locally.

As part of the deal for a higher staff budget, some MEPs on the parliament's budget committee are expected to call for stricter rules on how many local assistants can be employed.

Assistants generally play a more integral role in scrutinising legislation than in national parliaments, after the Lisbon Treaty gave the body more powers. Supporters of the increased budget argue that it is necessary in order to keep hold of skilled staff.

Assistants based in Brussels can be paid a maximum of just over €7,000 per month, while there is no limit on the salary of local assistants.

Parliamentarians are likely to approve the extra money in October. The European Council, which is made up of the government of member states, have a "gentleman's agreement" with the European Parliament not to interfere with each other's funding.

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