EU journalists in court with the European Parliament, demand publication of how representatives spend their salary allowances

A group of 29 journalists from all EU member states has requested the European Court of Justice to challenge the European Parliament’s refusal regarding access to information on how 751 representatives spend nearly 40 million euros in salary allowances each year.

– We find it very concerning that the European Parliament has no control over how 38.7 million euros of European taxpayers’ money is spent, and it is additionally worrying that the Parliament considers this justified – says Nataša Pirc Musar, a Slovenian lawyer representing the group of journalists.

The court process began in November 2015 when 29 lawsuits (each on behalf of one journalist) were filed with the European Court of Justice seeking the opening of documentation from the European Parliament regarding how much money MEPs receive on top of their salaries in various allowances, including general and travel expenses, per diems, and staff costs. The pan-European initiative for free access to information – the MEP’s project – was formed in June 2015 when journalists representing all EU countries requested access from the EP to information on how, when, and why MEPs spend this money, which the Parliament refused. All requests were denied on the grounds that it would jeopardize the security of personal data and that complying with such a request would cause a lot of additional working hours. Furthermore, the European Parliament claimed it does not possess documents on how representatives spend the allowances they receive on top of their salaries. After the journalists filed their lawsuits, the EP reiterated its arguments, but the journalists demand that this information be made public.

– It is time for the European Parliament, an institution that European citizens should be able to rely on, to face this task and publish the information – said Slovenian journalist and MEP project leader Anuška Delić, adding that she hopes the representatives themselves will pressure the European Parliament to do the right thing.

In response to the EP’s arguments, the Pirc Musar law firm issued a statement on behalf of the 29 journalists disputing some of the Parliament’s defense points.

– We are quite disappointed with the defense of the European Parliament. Their key arguments are based on three legal cases where the facts are significantly different from ours. In the Bavarian Lager case, the requested data related to lobbyists, i.e., people who do not hold public office. In our case, the requested data pertains to members of the European Parliament and their assistants and advisors. Furthermore, in the two Dennenkamp cases, the data requested related to the pensions of representatives, while we want to clarify how public funds allocated to representatives are spent and whether they are truly necessary for work in the Parliament – says Pirc Musar.

She also emphasizes that it is concerning that the EP has no documentation on how representatives spend salary allowances amounting to 4,300 euros per representative per month. Although they know they cannot obtain documents if they do not exist, Pirc Musar points out that they have highlighted a significant lack of oversight in public spending and expect decision-makers to make appropriate changes to the system. Additionally, they point out that the personal data of European officials and EU employees are protected much more than those of ordinary citizens.

– We call on the European Parliament to stop hiding behind outdated interpretations of whose personal data should be better protected. Instead, we want the EP to enable a fairer balance between the rights of European officials and the rights of citizens to access information – says Pirc Musar.