The Youth Intergroup wrote to Parliament President Antonio Tajani (EPP, Italy) on Thursday 8 June, calling on him to act to improve the work and pay conditions of interns in the institution.
The signatories of the letter call for adoption of common rules and guidelines for interns in order to ensure: - the quality of the learning experience; - sufficient remuneration that will cover cost of living expenses; - a six-month limit on the usual duration of internships and a 12-month maximum. They have asked to meet Tajani before the summer break. A manifesto calling for “fair internships” was signed by 134 MEPs.
There is a real need for action in this area according to a study published by the intergroup earlier in the year: a quarter of Parliament interns are paid less than €600 per month and 8% receive no payment whatsoever. Salaries vary widely within the political groups, from one MEP’s office to another. As a general rule, however, payment is better among the groups of the centre left, the radical left and the ecologists.
The intergroup conducted a similar initiative in 2014 under the previous presidency but without success. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)