Budgets committee agrees to extra staff

Parliament to hire 150 extra staff and MEP allowances for assistants to get a boost.

The European Parliament’s leadership, the bureau, has reached an agreement with its budgets committee to go ahead with plans to hire 150 extra staff and boost MEPs’ monthly allowances for assistants by €1,500.

The new posts would be paid for from the Parliament’s 2010 revised budget, which was given final approval by the budgets committee yesterday (10 February) after weeks of negotiation with the Parliament’s leadership. This year’s budget is set at €1.6 billion.

Yesterday’s (10 February) agreement will see the Parliament keep within 20% of the total administrative budget of the EU institutions. The MEPs agreed to cut €4 million from the Parliament’s building reserve to keep within the spending cap.

Full backing needed

The proposed budget still needs the backing of the full Parliament, which is expected at the next plenary session in Brussels later this month, officials said. After that the budget will be put to the European Commission, which will include it in the EU’s total 2010 budget.

Parliament officials said that the extra staff were needed to help the legislature cope with its expanded role under the Lisbon treaty.

“The entry into force of the Lisbon treaty will have an impact, directly or indirectly, on the entire range of [Parliament] services,” said a draft paper on the budget provisions.

Technical expertise

The 150 extra staff – split 75 for the political groups’ secretariats and 75 for the general secretariat – are needed, MEPs claim, to help advise them and provide technical expertise in areas where the Parliament will now hold more powers.

Allowances for assistants

The increase in the allowances for assistants, from €17,540 to €19,040 per month, is supposed to help MEPs cover the costs of employing extra office help. The plan is to start hiring new staff in May.

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