Brussels, 24/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Officials of the European institutions will face a fall of 1.8% in their purchasing power throughout the European Union, the Commission announced on Thursday 24 November. “The combined change in purchasing power of national civil servants in the basket of member states (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg - representing 76% of EU GDP) is -1.8%. So exactly the same loss is proposed for EU civil servants, wherever they are based in the EU and whatever EU institution or agency they work for”, the Commission says in a press release.
Changes in European salaries are the result of an automatic calculation system, which tracks national civil servants' purchasing power from a “basket” of 8 member states. The system means that it is a year before measures taken in these states have an affect on the salaries of European officials.
Thus, at a time when the cost of living in Belgium has risen by 3.6%, Brussels-based European officials - by far the majority - will only receive pay awards of 1.7%. National civil servants will receive increases of 3.6% as Belgian salaries are index-linked.
European officials in France and the Netherlands will see their salaries rise by 1.9% and 0.4% respectively, compared with the 2% their national counterparts will receive. European officials working in the Czech Republic, Greece or Italy will receive “a nominal pay cut”.
The proposal will now go to the Council for adoption before the end of the year. (CG/transl.rt)