Belgian Daily De Standaard has picked up our research which states that Belgian EU Commissioner Louis Michel is to take home about 1.1 million euros in pension payments and so-called 'transitional' and 'resettlement' allowances after he leaves office.
Louis Michel, the second Commissioner to react to the research, said he couldn't believe it and "if that's true, I'll retire immediately".
However, the article goes on:
After consulting an assisstant, the message seems to be accurate. This was followed by Louis Michel suddenly changing his mind, saying the compensation is completely justified. “We are being well paid, that is. But every morning getting up at 5 o' clock, lots of travelling, heavy files… This is a parachute, but not a golden one”.
We can only add that Louis Michel is European Commissioner for "Development and Humanitarian Aid". Improve the world, start with yourself...
He should resign!
ReplyDeleteThese guys are worse than the worst bankers.
Ahh,how many people get up for work at five am and don't make is pension and payoff in a life time?
ReplyDeleteThe European Elections should be renamed as 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire.'
Who says truth ? You or this one ?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mylittlebuzz.com/?post/parachutes-dores-aussi-pour-les-commissaires-europeens-1214
1. Le vendredi 27 mars 2009, 14:57 par Représentation de la Commission européenne en France
Contrairement à ce que dit ce billet, les Commissaires européens ne reçoivent aucun "bonus" après la fin de leur mandat au sein de la Commission européenne.
Toutes les informations sur les droits financiers des commissaires sont publiques et sont disponibles sur le site internet Europa: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barr...
Après la fin de leur mandat, les commissaires sont habilités à recevoir:
1. Une allocation transitoire en vue de leur réinsertion professionnelle, payée mensuellement pendant 3 ans après leur départ de la Commission. Le montant de cette allocation dépend de la durée de service. Des règles similaires existent dans de nombreux Etats membres pour les responsables de postes publics. Elle peut être limitée si le Commissaire commence une nouvelle activité rémunérée: la somme du nouveau salaire et de l'allocation transitoire ne doit pas dépasser le salaire total final reçu par le Commissaire pendant l'exercice de ses fonctions à la Commission. Après un mandat de 5 ans, un Commissaire est habilité à percevoir une allocation transitoire de maximum 9 955 € par mois.
2. Une pension de retraite une fois qu'ils ont atteint l'âge de 65 ans, versée mensuellement et proportionnelle à la durée de leur service. A titre d'exemple, après un mandat de 5 ans, un Commissaire aurait le droit de toucher une pension de retraite d'environ 51 000 € par an, payable à partir de l'âge de 65 ans. A noter que la pension de retraite n'est pas cumulable avec les indemnités transitoires.
Les Commissaires paient des impôts sur leur salaire et aussi sur cette allocation transitoire quand ils quittent leurs fonctions et, une fois qu'ils ont atteint l'âge de 65 ans, sur leur pension de retraite.
Anonymous - the EU rules you link to clearly state:
ReplyDelete"Upon leaving office, Commissioners are entitled to a resettlement allowance of one
month's salary."
And
"The basic salary of a member of the Commission is currently (since 1 July 2008) € 19,909.89 per month (the five Vice-Presidents earn € 22,122.10, the President earns € 24,422.80)."
That is on top of the 3-year transitional payments and the pension.
If a €20,000 lump payment - plus extras does not contitute a "bonus", then what does?
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/entitlements/entitlements.pdf
when is this damned gravy train ever going to stop.? when i retire i bet my pension will be worth nothing compared to this european fiasco. the sooner the eu ceases the better.
ReplyDeletePariahs - the lot of them - They wouldnt know a hard days work if it bit them on the backside! My wife does exactly what they do for a fraction of these payments AND runs a household as well as bringing up 2 children. They should be named and shamed in UK papers and then the UK's support of the EU plans would DEFINITELY be withdrawn. The Irish seem to be far more astute than the EU delegates give them credit for!
ReplyDeleteThe Mafia is obviously running this lot. The only way to stop it is to use your vote properly.Vote UKIP.
ReplyDeleteVote them out. Vote UKIP.
ReplyDeleteHa-Ha! I can see the funny side of it! He should resign and then be given only the average Belgium pension. In fact all these commisioners should get only the average pension of their own country! Why can't the EU population see this Huge Con trick? Are we all dumb or so well fed that we are too lazy to do anything about this EU madness, what are they putting into our food that makes us so docile?
ReplyDeleteDisgusting! For God's sake someone put a stop to this. It's worse than Fred the Shred - get rid of the lot of them.
ReplyDeleteSnouts and troughs immediately spring to mind.
ReplyDeleteNothing but a bunch of useless greedy grasping money grubbing leeches. The best thing Britian could do is to get out of this corrupt organisation and look after our own affairs and not be ruled by a bunch of unelected has-beens i.e commissioners. Remember what Harold Wilson said at the 1974 referendum. 'British parliament would remain supreme' and since then we have been sold down the river by our own politicians
ReplyDeleteIf only our vote would make a difference!!!However, they do not seem much different from the UK MP's and very likely the whole lot of Politicians that ae supposed to work in our favour. But no, of course they are al;l too busy feathering their own futures.
ReplyDeleteThe sooner we are no longer a member of this outrageous club the better.
These people are arrogant greedy ineffective bureacrats who should experience what we in the real world have to contend with. Our taxes rise- our pensions pots have been decimated in the present financial turmoil but these people still get their perks whatever. One must remember also that a large part of this financial crisis could have been avoided if the relevant authorities had done thier jobs correctly and it is those people in Government that are responsible for doing so.
ReplyDeleteWhen oh when is the sleazy gravy train going to stop- maybe we the people should lead a revolution to cleanse such people and practices.