If members of the Bundestag order with tax money for many years Mont Blanc pen in the company of an AfD member, provides the right for excitement. Whistleblowers and persistent searches – the star – had this questionable promoted practice to the fore. Where about 71 million euros for office expenses, travel expenses, daily allowance and employees of the 751 members of the European flow of Parliament is not, however, traceable. Ongoing proceedings before the European court of justice resulted in a judgment.
The European Parliament had denied access to information about the use of the remuneration paid to the 751 deputies in addition to the salary and Meeting fees. Therefore, freelance journalists and media houses, including the star ranged, on 13. November 2015, a complaint to the European court of justice. The Europe-wide freedom of Information Initiative “MEPs-Project” was formed in June of 2015, as the 29 journalists put together the request to the EU Parliament.
the European Parliament, calling for repeated arguments appeal to the ECJ journalists with information on cost allowances for MEPs By Dirk Liedtke
In a brief for the court of Europe and repeated in Parliament, the arguments with which the original requests of the journalists had been rejected: At its core, the privacy and the threat of work overload. Moreover, no individual receipts had to use the 4320 euros office fee.
“It is time for the European Parliament, its mission and the desired information,” says the head of the “MEPs-Project”, Anuška Delic from the Slovenian newspaper Delo. The lawyer of the journalists ‘ Initiative, Nataša Pirc Musar, says with a view to the lack of individual receipts of the office package: “We have uncovered a significant error in the control of the European Parliament over public expenditure. We expect decision-makers to take the appropriate Changes in the system.” The privacy policy does not apply to European Official more pronounced than for normal citizens, what is in it.
journalists investigate more
the procedure before The European court of justice continues, as well as the research of the participating journalists.
The press release of the 29 journalists in the English Original (pdf) and a chronicle of the proceedings, click here.
