Brussels’ top court sparks outrage after again ruling MEPs can keep secret how they spend their £50,000-a-year expenses
Euro judges said releasing data about how members of the Strasbourg parliament splurge taxpayers' cash would breach data protection rules
BRUSSELS' top court sparked outrage by ruling EU privacy laws mean the public has no right to know how euro MPs spend their £50,000-a-year expenses.
Euro judges said releasing data about how members of the Strasbourg parliament splurge taxpayers' cash would breach data protection rules.
A group of journalists took the case to the Luxembourg-based ECJ after parliament chiefs turned down their freedom of information request.
But today judges said Eurocrats did not have to release the data in any form - not even a redacted version with names removed.
They ruled that arguments in favour of disclosing MEPs' spending records in the public interest were not “appropriate and proportionate”.
The court added that the data could not be released with identities blanked out because that would and render it useless and create an "excessive administrative burden".
MEPs can claim £4,000 a month in office costs, for which they need provide no receipts, as well as £280 a day just for turning up to work.
On top of that they can also claim for expenses for travel and accommodation.
Anti-corruption campaigners branded the court's decision outrageous and said it would further undermine public trust in EU institutions.
In a statement Transparency International, which was one of the organisations challenging the secretive system, branded the judgement "indefensible".
It said: "This ruling sets a dangerous precedent. It's simply indefensible that the EU Parliament continues to block transparency on how public money is being spent by elected MEPs."
Policy officer Nick Aiossa added: "The ECJ has dealt a severe blow to transparency today by allowing the European Parliament to keep MEP allowance spending completely secret from the public.
"The journalists who brought the case correctly recognised that it is in the public interest to allow citizens to scrutinise how MEPs are spending taxpayers’ money.
"At a time when trust in the EU institutions is so low, this is a ridiculous message ahead of next year’s European elections."
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A majority of MEPs are in favour of opening up the system but the parliament's bureau, which makes administrative decisions, has refused to act.
Finnish MEP Heidi Hautala said: "The rules need changing now, otherwise the misuse of expenses will continue in the shadows."
In contrast many British euro MPs voluntarily publish a breakdown of their expenses and have them independently audited.
Tory MEP Ashley Fox said: "For nine years Conservative MEPs have submitted their expenses for independent audit and published detailed summaries on the delegation's website.
"We were the first political delegation in the European Parliament to do so.
"We believe the European Parliament should now demand that all MEPs copy this approach to restore and maintain public confidence in the system."