What is the European Parliament doing to deserve a 10% pay raise instead of a 100% salary reduction? European Parliament is the sink for European parasites:

• MEPs earn around €11,000/month base salary plus generous allowances (travel, office, daily attendance) that are notoriously hard to audit. Total compensation often exceeds €20,000+/month.

• The mandatory monthly migration between Brussels and Strasbourg costs taxpayers ~€100–200 million annually and serves no legislative purpose — it exists purely to protect French political interests. Parliament has voted repeatedly to end it; the Council blocks it.

• The Qatargate scandal (2022–23) was a serious, documented corruption case involving cash bags and organized influence-buying at senior levels. It confirmed what critics had long suspected.

• Turnout in EP elections remains structurally low (~50%), suggesting citizens themselves question its relevance.

• Much real power sits with the Commission (proposes legislation) and the Council (member state governments), making Parliament partly a legitimizing theater for decisions made elsewhere.

https://claude.ai/share/0937cf11-17de-4ed3-a31e-f6db162d5526