On Wednesday 25 March, the European Parliament put a quick end to a potential heated debate on the subject of the daily allowances of MEPs who are due to sit in a virtual plenary session on Thursday 26 March to endorse various measures in response to COVID-19.
European Parliament spokesperson Jaume Duch confirmed that David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, has stated that these daily allowances, known in the jargon as ‘per diems’, could only be paid in relation to MEPs’ 'physical presence’ at plenary sessions.
The debate started when a number of MEPs requested that they not be financially punished by being deprived of their €323 per day allowance, even though they are required to work and vote from home as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, as revealed by EuObserver, which quoted MEPs including Nicola Beer (Renew Europe, Germany) and Karol Karski (ECR, Poland).
According to the website, MEPs had been wondering whether the lump sum of €323 per day, which is meant to cover items such as hotel bills and meals, on condition that MEPs sign a register inside Parliament in Brussels or Strasbourg, could be maintained.
Beer, the German MEP, in particular argued to the website that the basic criterion should still be the act of voting, regardless of where it is done.
One source commented that the subject has been raised in some groups, including the Greens-EFA group “for a couple of minutes”. “No session in Brussels or Strasbourg, no daily subsistence allowance”.
Four Catalan MEPs, including Carles Puigdemont, also sent a letter to David Sassoli, this time asking that MEPs be allowed to use their daily allowances, but also other unused resources, to buy “medical devices and equipment” to relieve health systems that are currently under pressure. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Camille Cerise Gessant)