Members of Parliament told to disclose expenses 

The European Ombudsman , P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, asked Parliament on 27 September 2007 to accept a request for public access to details of EU payments received by MEPs. The request  follows a complaint, made in August 2005, by a Maltese journalist to whom Parliament had refused access to data detailing the payments of five Maltese MEPs. 

According to the Ombudsman, the arguments put forward by Parliament are unconvincing and therefore the refusal to grant access to requested documents "constitutes maladministration". 

Whereas the journalist argued that an MEP was a public person paid by the European taxpayers and therefore subject to public scrutiny, Parliament said that it is up to its Committee on Budgetary Control and the Court of Auditors to carry out this task. It also explained its refusal by the need to protect personal data concerning the names of MEPs' assistants. 

Regarding this issue, the Ombudsman consulted the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS ), Peter Hustinx, who said that "the blanking out of the assistants' names would adequately protect their rights."

"This case is important because it highlights the need to carefully balance the right to privacy with the public interest in openness when deciding whether the public has a right to access information of this kind," said Nikiforos. 

In 2005, Administrative Affairs and Anti-Fraud Commissioner Siim Kallas launched a Transparency Initiative aimed at increasing the financial accountability of EU funding, strengthening the independence of EU institutions and imposing stricter controls on lobbying. In this context, the Commission proposes strengthening ethical standards and accountability by establishing common ethical rules to be applied to all EU lawmakers.

MEPs have been criticised for alleged abuse of status by taking expense allowances granted by EU funds for personal profit, for example by making the Community reimburse the costs for a business class flight even if they flew economy class or low-fare. As of 2009, the expense arrangements of MEPs will be reformed and the members will only receive the price actually paid.

Regarding salaries, MEPs are currently paid the same amount as a member of their own national parliament, but starting from 2009, all MEPs will receive a basic monthly salary of €7,000.