About rules for Members

Integrity at the European Parliament

The European Parliament sets great store on the integrity, transparency and accountability of the political activities of its Members. In order to ensure this, Parliament has put into place a considerable number of rules and measures, which have been further strengthened as part of a comprehensive revision process in 2023.

Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament

The Code of Conduct entered into force on 1 January 2012 and was last revised in 2023. It sets out as its guiding principles that Members shall act solely in the public interest and conduct their work with disinterest, integrity, openness, diligence, honesty, accountability and respect for the European Parliament's dignity and reputation.

The Code of Conduct defines conflicts of interest and how Members should address them and it includes rules on disclosure obligations, activities of former Members and the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members.

The Code of Conduct also puts an obligation on Members to submit a detailed declaration of their private interests, a declaration of assets and, where applicable, a declaration of awareness of conflict of interests. Furthermore, the Code of Conduct obliges Members to publish all scheduled meetings, also when delegated to their assistants, with interest representatives falling under the Transparency Register and with representatives of public authorities of third countries. Members are also obliged to declare their attendance at events organised by third parties, where the reimbursement of their travel, accommodation, or subsistence expenses, or the direct payment of such expenses, is fully or partly covered by a third party. The information supplied by Members in their declarations can be found on the Members' individual profile pages, except for the declaration of assets, which is not public.

Members also have to declare gifts they have received when representing Parliament in an official capacity with an approximate value of more than EUR 150, under the conditions laid down in the Implementing Measures to the Code of Conduct. Such gifts are reported in the register of gifts.

Any Member found to be in breach of the Code of Conduct can be given a penalty by the President. This penalty is announced by the President in Plenary and prominently published on Parliament's website.

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The Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members

The Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members is the body responsible for giving Members guidance on the interpretation and implementation of the Code of Conduct. At the request of the President or after being contacted directly, the Advisory Committee also assesses alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct and advises the President on possible action to be taken. The Advisory Committee proactively monitors compliance by Members with the Code of Conduct and its implementing measures.

The Advisory Committee is composed of eight Members. They are appointed by the President on the basis of their experience and of political and gender balance. Every six months, the office of Chair of the Advisory Committee rotates among the members of the Committee. The President also nominates one reserve Member for any political group not otherwise represented in the Advisory Committee.

The Advisory Committee publishes each year a report of its work.

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Salaries and pensions

Salary of MEPs

MEPs, in general, receive the same salary under the single statute which came into effect in July 2009.

According to the Statute, the salary of a MEP is set at 38.5% of the basic salary of a judge at the European Court of Justice. Concretely, the monthly pre-tax salary of MEPs is EUR 10 802.91. The salary is paid from Parliament's budget and is subject to an EU tax and insurance contributions, after which the net monthly salary is EUR 8 419.90. Member States may also subject the salary to national taxes.

There is one exception: MEPs who held a mandate in Parliament before the 2009 elections could opt to keep the previous national system for salary, transitional allowance and pensions.

Pensions

Under the statute, former Members are entitled to an old-age pension from the age of 63. The pension equals 3.5% of the salary of MEPs for each full year’s exercise of a mandate, and one-twelfth of that figure for each additional full month of mandate, but not more than 70% of the salary of MEPs in total. The cost of these pensions is met from the European Union budget.

An additional pension scheme, introduced for MEPs in 1989, was closed to new members from July 2009 and is being phased out.

MEPs' allowances

Like Members of national parliaments, Members of the European Parliament receive a number of allowances that are intended to cover the expenditure they incur in the performance of their parliamentary duties.

General expenditure allowance

This allowance is intended to cover expenditure in the Member State of election, such as Members’ office management costs, telephone and postal charges, and the purchase, operation and maintenance of computer and telematics equipment. The allowance is halved in the case of Members who, without due justification, do not attend half the number of plenary sittings in one parliamentary year (September to August).

The amount of this allowance in 2024 is EUR 4 950 per month.

Ordinary travel expenses

Most meetings of the European Parliament, such as plenary sessions, committee meetings and political group meetings, take place in Brussels or Strasbourg. Upon presentation of the supporting documents, Members are reimbursed of the actual cost of their travel tickets for attending such meetings, up to a maximum of the D business class (or similar) air fare, the first class rail fare or up to EUR 0.58 per km for car journeys (up to a maximum of 720 km per journey and 60 000 km per year).

Additionally, in order to cover other travel-related expenses (such as motorway tolls, excess baggage charges or reservation fees or meals, drinks etc) Members are entitled to allowances based on the distance and duration of the journey. These allowances are only paid in relation to one return journey per Parliament working week between one of Parliament’s places of work or a meeting venue and the Members’ place of residence or another point of departure in the Member State of election.

Other travel expenses

Members are often required to travel within and outside the Member State of election in the performance of their official duties.

For activities within their Member State of election, travel expenses are reimbursed according to the system for ordinary travel expenses (however, with no distance and duration allowances paid), up to a maximum annual amount of journeys by air or rail, or kilometres travelled based on the size of the country.

For activities outside their Member State of election, Members may be reimbursed for their travel, accommodation and related expenses up to a maximum annual amount of EUR 5 500, which may be index-linked on a yearly basis.

Daily subsistence allowance

• Parliament pays a flat-rate allowance of EUR 350 per day (in 2024), which may be index linked on a yearly basis, to cover all subsistence expenses incurred by Members during parliamentary activity periods, on condition that they prove their attendance by signing one of the official registers made available for that purpose.
• If a Member does not take part in at least half of the roll-call votes on voting days in plenary the allowance is halved, even if the Member is present. In the case of meetings organised outside the European Union, the daily subsistence allowance is EUR 175 (likewise subject to the signing of a register), with accommodation expenses being reimbursed separately.

Review of European and National Election Results

The publication is the most complete and comprehensive database available covering developments in the political spectrum across the EU, tracing back election results and the composition of the European Parliament to its first direct election in 1979. In addition, the Review also offers an overview of recent national elections in all EU Member States.