On Monday 2 July, the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France), regretted the fact that the Bureau of the Parliament had missed the opportunity to take position in favour of revising the rules on the allowance for general costs to increase transparency.
This allowance is the fixed amount paid to MEPs every month to cover operating expenditure and that of their assistants (accredited and local).
The Bureau of the Parliament was to adopt rules to modify the way MEPs use their general costs envelope, but the status quo ended up winning the day. Concerning the allowance for general costs, the revised rules would have called for a separate bank account, checks and the repayment of unused money at the end of the mandate.
The Bureau rejected a reform aiming to increase transparency in the MEPs' spending, lamented Sven Giegold (Greens/EFA, Germany).
The vote took place behind closed doors. Giegold said that the reform was supported by the vice-presidents of the Greens/EFA, Liberal and left-wing groups and the Italian Five Star Movement, as well as two vice-presidents from the S&D group. “Three other Social Democrats joined forces with the Christian Democrats and right-wing Conservatives against the reform”, said Giegold.
Only the obligation to receive and pay out the allowance using a separate bank account was agreed upon, but without any checks and balances, Giegold further regretted.
The vice-presidents who voted for the reform are: David-Maria Sassoli (S&D, Italy), Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France), Pavel Telička (ALDE, Czech Republic), Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, Greece), Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA, Finland) and Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD, Italy). Those who voted against: Mairead McGuinness (EPP, Ireland), Bogusław Liberadzki (S&D, Poland), Rainer Wieland (EPP, Germany), Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR, Poland), Ramón Luis Valcarcel Siso (EPP, Spain), Evelyne Gebhardt (S&D, Germany), Lívia Járóka (EPP, Hungary) and Ioan Mircea Pașcu (S&D, Romania).
In June 2017, the President of the Parliament, Antonio Tajani, set up a working group to finalise the revision of the list of expenses that can be paid for out of the general costs allowance. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)