6.9 percent more: Whole salary increase for EU employees causes trouble

Created: 10/17/2022 13:05

EU officials should soon get significantly more money.

But the planned wage increase has been criticized - many are calling for it to be forgone.

Brussels – Record inflation, skyrocketing energy prices, uncertainty because of the war in Ukraine – many citizens are currently having to tighten their belts.

Winter is approaching and with it the fear of freezing in your own home.

At the same time, an increase in salaries is on the agenda for EU civil servants, which this year is also expected to be particularly large - not only for simple employees, but also for top earners such as MEPs and high-ranking civil servants.

Can that be justified in times like these?

Huge salary increase for EU employees: 6.9 percent more

The planned salary increase of 6.9 percent is part of a regular increase in EU salaries for the tens of thousands of employees in Belgium and Luxembourg.

Employees, members of parliament, EU commissioners and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen benefit from this.

The German head of authorities already earns a basic salary of almost 30,000 euros a month.

The increase is based on a decision by the European Parliament and the EU states in 2013, according to information from the Commission.

The authority emphasizes that it is not just about adjusting for inflation, but that the increase also depends on the level of civil servant salaries in the member states.

The authority also emphasizes that the increase of 6.9 percent has not yet been finalized.

Salary increase in criticism: AfD and Green politicians against it

The AfD budget politician Joachim Kuhs does not find the plus justified.

"The higher wage brackets don't need a wage increase," he says.

The new co-head of the Greens group in the European Parliament sees it similarly.

You believe that a salary increase for top earners is currently not an important political demand, on the contrary, says Terry Reintke.

"You could probably just skip a few things."

Even within the EU Commission, an automated salary increase in times of crisis is viewed critically.

In the fight against inflation, it is important to prevent spiraling wages, Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said of high wage increases back in May.

It is the responsibility of the social partners to "find the right balance".

Wage spirals mean rising wages with rising prices, which in turn allows companies to justify even higher prices due to increased wage costs.

Wages have also risen in the Bundestag

There have recently been increases in the Bundestag.

Diets rose by 3.1 percent to EUR 10,323.29 in the summer because they are automatically linked to general wage developments.

For the same reason, diets were down a year ago.

In 2020, the parliamentarians voluntarily refrained from an increase because of Corona.

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Finally, at the end of October, it should be determined how much the salaries in Brussels should really rise.

BY MAREK MAJEWSKY