[Euraffex]

A couple of small comments to your post – just to get the details right:
1) It is impossible to give an exact figure (such as the €2500 you mention) for what the assistant of an MEP makes, since this depends on a number of factors (such as which country they are employed in).
2) The budget for assistance that an MEP has available, has to cover both employees in the European Parliament (so-called Accredited Parliamentary Assistants(also called APAs)), employees in their home country (also known as Local Assistants), as well as any interns (something many MEPs make use of).
3) The pay budget also has to cover travels for staff, both to Strasbourg and between the home country and Brussels when needed. For information it cost about €800 per time an APA (or intern) goes to Strasbourg.
4) Unlike the APAs, locally employed assistants have to pay taxes and social contributions where applicable.
5) Some MEPs have more than 10 locally employed Assistants
6) If MEPs do not use the budget for salaries completely they do NOT gain access to the unspent money
7) APAs make between €1,694.21 (grade 1) and €7,802.33 (grade 19) every month – depending on what they negotiate with their boss. If you want to know more about what APAs make you can read a couple of our blog posts from last year: https://www.euraffex.eu/what-do-assistants-in-the-european-parliament-actually-make/ and https://www.euraffex.eu/what-do-assistants-really-earn-part-ii/

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