Like everything in the European Parliament, the manner in which money is distributed to its members is extremely complicated. It's all split up into various funds, each with its own purpose and rules. Even this clarification is not very, um, clear. But if you are interested in learning how much a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) can earn or spend, this is probably the most straightforward explanation that you can find on the internet. Click on the individual boxes to learn more about each fund.

This overview is of course not fully comprehensive. MEPs enjoy a number of other privileges, which you can read about here.

And let me give some credit to the EU: the simple fact that this information was made publicly accessible at all is a positive thing. This is better than what you'd find, let's say, in a monarchy.

Do I spend it all?

The amount indicated for the different allowances is the maximum that I am able to use (or claim, in the case of daily allowance). It isn’t easy to spend such large, specific amounts of money. You have to be very motivated to find €4,563 worth of office goods to purchase every month, for instance. And on top of that there are many rules that make things even more complicated. I can only hire four accredited parliamentary assistants with the money I can spend on staff, to name one example.

It is also possible to carry the funds over in some cases. So if I have no good reason to spend all the money one month, it makes sense to save it in case I will need it the next month.