Some in the European Parliament say, "Let's cut the basic salary of 13 million won by half"... majority is against

Left-wing group proposes, “Members of Congress receiving high salaries are at odds with the lives of ordinary citizens.”

Up to 27 million won per month, including various allowances... Assistant support and pension benefits

(Brussels = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yoon-kyung = Some in the European Parliament have called for reducing the basic salary of European Parliament members by half, currently set at about 8800 euros (about 13.2 million won).

This measure stems from the perception that lawmakers, who earn well over 10,000 euros in monthly salaries and allowances, are becoming increasingly disconnected from the lives of ordinary voters.

According to Euronews, the left-wing group in the European Parliament officially submitted a proposal to reduce the basic salary of European Parliament members, currently set at 8,772.70 euros, by half to 4,400 euros (about 6.6 million won) in an amendment to the resolution related to the European Parliament budget for next year. This agenda is scheduled to be voted on at a plenary session to be held in Strasbourg, France, in two weeks.

However, in addition to the basic salary, the general expense allowance of 4,950 euros (about 4.4 million won) per month and the daily allowance of 359 euros (about 540,000 won) during the session were not touched. If you add all these amounts together, the total monthly income of European lawmakers currently amounts to up to 18,000 euros (about 27 million won).

Marc Botenga, a member of the European Parliament from Belgium who led this proposal, explained the purpose of this proposal, saying, "Members of parliament are very out of touch with the people. Considering the salaries they receive, they do not know what it means to not be able to pay rent."

The left-wing group estimates that more than 50 million euros (about 75.1 billion won) could be saved from next year's European Parliament budget if lawmakers' basic salaries are cut. There are currently 720 members of the European Parliament.

However, Euronews observed that the majority of other political groups in the European Parliament are opposed to this proposal, calling it "typical populism," making it unlikely that lawmakers' pay cuts will be realized.

Meanwhile, in addition to salaries and various allowances, members of the European Parliament can receive more than 32,000 euros (about 48 million won) per month to support the costs of parliamentary aides. In addition, former members of the European Parliament receive a pension equivalent to 3.5% of their salary for each year of office when they turn 63 years old.