The salary of MEPs in Germany will increase by about 300 euros from 1 July. The chancellor’s salary exceeds, for the first time, 30,000 euros per month.
A brave increase in their order 300 euros per month is waiting for the members of the “Bundestag”, of the German Federal Parliament, from July 1. As early as April, the Speaker of the Parliament, Berbel Bass, had informed the deputies that the monthly “compensation” they receive would increase by 3.1% from July. According to the German News Agency (DPA), the compensation now reaches 10,323.29 euros. The chancellor’s monthly salary will be exceeded for the first time the 30,000 euros.
This is because, with a decision taken by the Parliament itself, the monthly salary of the deputies is “linked to the general development of salaries”, ie it essentially follows a system of automatic indexation. In addition to the allowance, MPs receive a tax-free operating allowance of € 4,583.39 per month, which is usually used to pay for their political office or rent for a second home in Berlin if elected in another district.
Gone are the days of cuts
The brave increase comes after a long period of restraint. In 2021 the salaries of the deputies had decreased, as the same happened with the other salaries, while in 2020 the elected representatives of the people themselves had stated that they voluntarily give up any increase, as a sign of support for the general financial hardship caused by the first wave of the pandemic. It is noted that the increases do not apply to those who are not members of Parliament. As a result, for example, MP and Undersecretary of Defense Simge Meller receives 21,604 euros per month, while Minister Christine Lambrecht herself, who has not been elected MP, receives less money, namely 20,425.57 euros.
Is there a lot of money?
Questions about the increases in the parliamentary allowance were submitted to the Parliament by the ethno-populist party “Alternative for Germany (AfD)”, warning that “the deputies are becoming more and more alienated from the ordinary people”. AfD MP Rene Springer even told Bild that politicians “approve fat increases for themselves, while getting rid of small numbers of workers suffering from the constant rise in inflation.” But the Left Party (Die Linke) has repeatedly criticized the increases in parliamentary compensation. “Salary over 10,000 gross and even with a guaranteed index adjustment? “Most workers in this country can not even dream of such a thing,” said MP Nicole Golke in a relevant debate in the Federal Parliament in December 2021.
Truth, is more or less the 10,323.29 euros for a Member of Parliament or the 30,000 and something for the Chancellor? Obviously it is a matter of perspective. However, the compensation of US President Joe Biden today reaches $ 450,000 per year. Not to mention the head of the Volkswagen car industry, Herbert Dees, who is paid about 10 million euros a year, along with the “bonuses”. As for Christian Seving, governor of Deutsche Bank, the largest German bank, in 2021 his salary is estimated to have reached 8.8 million euros.
DW – Giannis Papadimitriou
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