TRUE OR FALSE. Are German parliamentarians and MEPs “much better” paid than French parliamentarians?

While the State wants to save money, the boss of Les Républicains senators assures that “democracy has a cost” and that German parliamentarians and MEPs are “much better” paid than French parliamentarians. It’s true that they are better paid, but when we also take into account operating expenses, the gap narrows.

The State wants to make savings, to reduce the deficit, it will have to find an additional 10 billion euros in 2024, Bercy announced. But at the same time, and to keep up with inflation, parliamentarians have increased the amount of their mandate expense advance, which covers daily expenses linked to their function. Questioned on BFMTV, the president of the Les Républicains au Sénate group, Bruno Retailleau, ensures that this increase is justified : “Democracy has a cost, do we want tomorrow that senators or deputies be paid the minimum wage? Or that it be free? German parliamentarians, for example, are much better paid than French parliamentarians, as are European parliamentarians.” Are German parliamentarians and MEPs “much better” paid than French parliamentarians?

Higher paid German parliamentarians and MEPs

It’s true that they are paid better. A French parliamentarian receives €7,637.39 gross in compensation each month, adding the basic parliamentarian allowance (€5,931.95), the residence allowance (€177.96) and the official allowance (€1527.48). This corresponds to his remuneration, subject to income tax. In Germany, parliamentarians receive €10,591.70 gross, or 38% more than a French elected official. For a European parliamentarian, the basic monthly allowance amounts to €9,975.42 gross monthly, or 30% more than in France.

But elected officials also receive a second envelope, to cover all their daily expenses, linked to their function. This is what we call in France the advance of mandate fees (AFM). It covers the rental of a office, the purchase of computers, taxi costs, the rental of accommodation or a hotel room or even the organization of a reception. Childcare has also just joined eligible expenses, provided that MPs do not request tax deductions at the same time. This envelope amounts in France, each month, to €5,950 for deputies and €6,600 for senators, after the recent increase. Certain senators can also benefit from additional envelopes under certain conditions.

The gap is narrowing with the envelope of official costs

In Germany and the European Parliament, this second envelope is not as high. German parliamentarians receive €5,5051.54 to “cover all expenses linked to the exercise of the mandate: from the constituency office to the second home in Berlin, including office supplies in the constituency as well as travel expenses. support for the constituency”, we can read on the parliament website. In total, taking into account remuneration and office expenses, German parliamentarians receive 15% more than the French. The difference is less impressive.

In the European Parliament, it is more difficult to make a precise comparison. The basic envelope for “overhead costs” amounts to €4,950 per month (telephone, internet, IT equipment, etc.). But this envelope is “halved for deputies who, without valid justification, do not attend half of the plenary sessions of a parliamentary year”. Furthermore, MEPs receive daily allowances for hotel and meal costs, but to benefit from this, they must prove their presence by signing an official register.

Spain or Portugal, less well paid parliamentarians

Overall, if we compare France to its European neighbors, it is rather average. Taking into account only the parliamentary allowance, the remuneration, the Spanish elected representatives receive a little more than €3,000 gross each month and the Portuguese €4,000, much less than the €7,637 for French deputies. In Belgium, the compensation amounts to more than €8,000 and in Italy it exceeds 10,000 euros. Making a comparison across Europe is less relevant, because in certain Eastern countries the standards of living are not comparable.