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Fact check: Can MEPs skip the line at airports?
euronews (in English)
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08/10/2024
Members of the European Parliament are entitled to several allowances, but there’s often criticism and confusion over what the so-called “Brussels gravy train” entails. EuroVerify takes a look.
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00:00
Can MEPs skip the line at airports?
00:08
Being elected a Member of the European Parliament comes with a range of benefits,
00:12
including overhead allowances, reimbursements of travel costs and money for meals.
00:17
These advantages have sparked conversations online as to what exactly MEPs are entitled to
00:22
and whether it's fair that they get them.
00:24
Let's take a closer look.
00:27
This video by Fidius Panayiotou, a well-known YouTuber and independent Cypriot MEP,
00:34
shows his new diplomatic passport as a newly elected Member of Parliament.
00:38
He says the passport allows politicians to skip the line at the airport,
00:42
while also granting you free visas for countries that require them.
00:46
We got in touch with the European Parliament, whose press service told us
00:49
that MEPs don't get a passport with diplomatic status or diplomatic privileges or immunities.
00:54
It added though that MEPs can get a laissez-passer,
00:57
which they can use as a secure travel document for activities related to their parliamentary work only,
01:03
in countries which recognise it as a valid travel document.
01:06
What Panayiotou appears to be holding in his video is a diplomatic passport issued by the Cypriot government.
01:12
These passports, given by national governments, do confer certain advantages,
01:17
like quicker diplomatic lanes at airports and waived visa requirements.
01:24
The European Parliament doesn't issue diplomatic passports to MEPs,
01:28
but it has a list of the benefits MEPs do get.
01:31
For example, they get a general expenditure allowance to cover things like computers, office rent and supplies.
01:37
It stands at €4,950, and when a Member leaves office for good,
01:42
they get what some would call a golden parachute.
01:45
It's a transitional allowance equivalent to one month's salary per year they were in office,
01:50
for up to a maximum of two years.
01:52
For more investigations and fact-checks, head over to euronews.com.
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