The MPs unanimously decided to freeze their salaries at the March level, with their basic salary remaining at 4,236 euros. However, the decision sparked a debate on whether this will actually lead to savings for the budget, since a number of additional funds are added to the basic amount. On the air of “Your Day“ on NOVA NEWS, mathematician Prof. Mikhail Konstantinov and Diana Eftimova from the Institute for the Development of the Public Environment commented on the real amount of MP salaries and the need for greater transparency.
According to Prof. Konstantinov, the basic salary far from reflects the real income of MPs. “We have a basic salary of 4.2 thousand euros. If you add the two-thirds additional funds, the amount becomes about 7 thousand euros. Then other payments come - we reach about 10 thousand euros per person“, he calculated.
The deputies froze their salaries at the levels of March
“Reducing or increasing these numbers has a moral effect. It has no real impact on the budget“, Konstantinov emphasized. He added that more important than the amount of salaries is the result of the work of the representatives of the people: “When a legislative marriage is made and the laws are amended dozens of times, then no matter how little we give them, it is still a lot.“
Diana Eftimova pointed out that tying the deputies' salaries to the average salary in the public sector has its own logic. “The people's representatives, working for the good of all of us, contribute to increasing the income of citizens and therefore their salaries also grow“, she explained. In her words, the so-called two-thirds of additional funds should not be “unaccountable“, as they are intended for expertise, external consultants and activities related to the legislative process. “The internal rules themselves should determine how these funds are spent and how they are accounted for“, said Eftimova.
According to experts, society should monitor both the expenses and the quality of the work of the deputies more closely. “Deputies must abide by their own rules“, said Eftimova and stressed that citizens and the media should insist on more publicity. “If our deputies' salaries are about 70-80% of the European average, I don't see anything wrong. However, if there are more, then there is already an imbalance and injustice“, concluded Prof. Konstantinov.