Maltese MEPs file declarations of interest

Malta’s MEPs have filed their financial declarations at the European Parliament’s register, where newcomers also revealed their incomes over the last three years.

Under the EP’s code of conduct, all MEPs must declare their occupations during the three-year period before they took up office with the Parliament, and membership, during that period, of any boards or committees of companies, non-governmental organisations, associations or other bodies established in law.

MEPs who have had previous mandates as MEPs only need declare that mandate without the specification of the income amount, as this is public information: this was the case for European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, Nationalist MEP David Casa, and Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba.

Labour MEPs (from left) Daniel Attard, Alex Agius Saliba and Thomas Bajada

An MEP’s monthly salary is €10,377.43 gross and €8,088.03 net, after deduction of EU taxes and insurance contributions. Former MEPs are entitled to a pension at 63, equal to 3.5% of their salary for each full year in office and one twelfth thereof for each further full month, but not more than 70% in total.

Even as president, Metsola will earn the same amount as any MEP.

On the other hand, the PN’s new MEP Peter Agius declared his income from employment within the European institutions, for which he was earning €15,000 a month.

PN MEPs (from left) Peter Agius, Roberta Metsola and David Casa

Labour MEP Daniel Attard, who was formerly deputy High Commissioner in London, declared income from his last three years as €31,400 from the ministry for foreign affairs, €25,000 as a legal advisor to the ministry for justice, honoraria of €3,000 as a board member of Interconnect Malta, and €1,750 as board member of Residency Malta – the latter two both government-owned entities; €2,372 honorarium as mayor of Mtarfa, and a €6,000 income from self-employment as a lawyer.

The other Labour newcomer, MEP Thomas Bajada, did not declare any income from his previous employment at the Permanent Representation to Brussels.

MEPs have an obligation to declare their financial interests at the moment of taking office as well as orally when they have an interest in one of the issues being debated at a sitting. They are also required to update their declaration of financial interests every year.

How much are MEPs paid?

All MEPs are paid €10,377.43 gross per month, which translates into a net of €8,089 after deducting EU taxes and insurance contributions. National governments may impose additional national taxes.

Their wages are supplemented by contributions, starting with an overhead allowance of €4,950 per month for expenses such as office rental in their home member state, office supplies, mobile phones/mobile phone subscriptions, and Internet subscriptions.

They then get a daily €350 ‘subsistence allowance’ to cover lodging, meals, and related expenses for each day an MEP is in the European Parliament in an official capacity.

But if an MEP does not take part in more than half of the roll-call votes on voting days in plenary the allowance is halved, even if the MEP is present. In the case of meetings organised outside the European Union, the allowance is €175, with accommodation expenses being reimbursed separately.

What is not spent is added to what is earned, such as travel. The European Parliament covers travel expenses to and from the institution, upon presentation of receipts, and the maximum limit is equal to the business class airfare, first-class rail fare, or €0.58 per km in the case of travel by car (up to a maximum of 1,000 km).

MEPs also get a reimbursement of two-thirds of their medical expenses.

Finally at the need of their term of office, they get a transitional allowance, equivalent to one month’s allowance for each year of their term of office for a maximum of two years.