A ler por quem tenciona votar nas eleições europeias ou se tenciona candidatar ao Parlamento Europeu: In Europe's Parliament, a Fondness for the Perks: A legislator from Finland can fly round trip to Brussels, where the Parliament meets, for about $240. But under Parliament rules, members are reimbursed at the highest economy price, meaning that a Finnish member could receive about 10 times the cost of the trip. [...]
There is no ban on relatives working as Parliament aides, and relatives of at least two dozen members do. There are taxi allowances, free language lessons and daily expense stipends, even on days when no official business is conducted. Most benefits are tax free. [...]
The benefits, which cost taxpayers more than $100 million a year, are intended to equalize legislators' salaries, which are determined by their individual countries and vary widely. [...]
a Finnish legislator, Reino Paasilinna, said it would be difficult to leave Parliament for another job because he would lose half his income. "It's almost 20,000 a month," he said, referring to euros. "And there isn't any taxation." [...]
Although reforms are needed, the general criticism is overblown, said Richard Balfe, an English member who heads the committee that administers the benefits.
"Don't let's pretend that people are being carried in here on litters by servants picking grapes and then going home," he said. "Most people come into Parliament because they believe they have a mission to accomplish and they work pretty hard at doing it. Clearly they need expenses and facilities to accomplish that mission."
And they get them. [...]
Then there's nepotism. Payroll records obtained by The Times and The Herald Tribune for 2002 indicate that at least 30 legislators have relatives on their staffs.
[A maior vergonha é que estes casos foram denunciados em Fevereiro e mal se ouviu falar deles na Europa! Também porque, nessa altura, Hans-Peter Martin não respondia a perguntas endereçadas ao seu "email" no Parlamento Europeu...]
