The Left group in the European Parliament is preparing to push for a 50% cut to MEPs’ basic salaries, arguing that lawmakers earning thousands of euros a month have become increasingly disconnected from the financial realities facing ordinary citizens.
The proposed reduction would apply only to MEPs’ basic salaries, leaving their existing allowances unchanged. The distinction is significant: while the net monthly salary stands at €8,772.70, additional payments can bring an MEP’s total monthly income to around €18,000.
The proposal, put forward by Belgian MEP Marc Botenga of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA), would reduce lawmakers’ net monthly salary from €8,772.70 to approximately €4,400. The initiative is included in an amendment to a resolution on the European Parliament’s budget for next year, scheduled to be voted on during a plenary session in Strasbourg in two weeks.
At the heart of the proposal is a question of political accountability: should elected representatives share more directly in the financial pressures experienced by the people they represent?
Lawmakers receive a general expenditure allowance of €4,950 per month to cover costs associated with their parliamentary mandate. They are also entitled to a daily allowance of €359 for accommodation, meals and related expenses while attending parliamentary business in Brussels or Strasbourg. To qualify for the daily payment, MEPs must sign the attendance register.
Separately, Parliament provides more than €32,000 for each MEP per month to cover the employment costs of parliamentary assistants. These funds are intended for staffing rather than personal income.
According to the Left group’s suggested amendments last year, halving MEPs’ basic salaries would save more than €50 million from next year’s parliamentary budget.
“At a time when workers face rising costs and pressure on living standards, elected representatives should lead by example and share in the efforts required of society,” the amendment states.
A proposal facing an uphill battle
Despite its appeal to voters frustrated by the gap between political salaries and everyday wages, the initiative is likely to face resistance across Parliament.
Estonian MEP Jaak Madison, of the far-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, dismissed the proposal as populist, arguing that lawmakers seeking to demonstrate solidarity could instead reconsider their claims for daily allowances.
“If the Left’s MEPs wish to demonstrate genuine solidarity with the voters they could for instance simply refrain from signing the attendance register that entitles them to a daily allowance of over €350,” he told Euronews yesterday.
German MEP Daniel Freund, of the Greens/EFA group, also criticised the initiative to Euronews, calling it a “populist stunt”. He argued that the existing system for determining parliamentary salaries was reasonable because pay is linked to salary developments in EU member states.
Botenga has acknowledged that the proposal faces significant obstacles. A similar initiative was previously rejected by Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, making it uncertain whether the amendment will secure sufficient support among MEPs.
More than a question of money
The debate goes beyond the proposed savings. For Botenga and his allies, cutting parliamentary salaries would be a symbolic gesture at a time when households across Europe are struggling with living costs, housing expenses and pressure on their purchasing power.
For opponents, however, the existing salary framework provides a more appropriate way to determine lawmakers’ pay, while allowances are intended to support the practical demands of parliamentary work.
Whether the amendment succeeds remains to be seen. But by proposing to halve MEPs’ basic salaries and claiming potential savings of more than €50 million, the Left has placed a politically sensitive issue firmly on the parliamentary agenda.
(Sources: European Parliament, Euronews)
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