The Bulgarian MEPs will get a monthly wage equal to their MP colleagues in Bulgaria, the country's parliament decided on Thursday. File photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
The Bulgarian MEPs will get a monthly wage equal to their MP colleagues in Bulgaria, the country's parliament decided on Thursday.
The MEPs' wages will also be equal to three average wages in the public sector.
At the moment the wages of all members of the European Parliament come from the governments of the countries they represent in Brussels and are equal to the MP wages in the countries.
It is expected that EU Parliament votes on harmonizing the wages of its members after the elections in 2009. Until now MEPs have been paid varying amounts depending on the country they represent in the EP. The differences in pay are significant, with members from Italy earning around 11000 euros a month, while members from Hungary receive a monthly wage of 800 euros.
If the new rules are passed as is expected, every MEP regardless of where he or she comes from will earn 7000 euros a month before tax.