Eurosceptics top list of EU lawmakers with lucrative 'moonlighting' jobs

By Francesco Guarascio

 

Brexit campaigner and Member of the European Parliament Nigel Farage attends a debate on the guidelines on the framework of future EU-UK relations at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Eurosceptic lawmakers in the European Parliament pull in the highest earnings from private activities and second jobs making many of them the highest-paid EU legislators, a report by watchdog Transparency International said on Tuesday.

 

One of them is UKIP's Nigel Farage, a leading Brexit campaigner to take Britain out of the EU who drew private earnings of 30,000 euros (26,564.03 pounds) a month last year from broadcasting, according to the civil rights group's report that was based on public disclosures.

 

Nearly one third of the European Parliament's 751 members declare income from private activities that top up their monthly 8,400-euro net salary and 4,000-euro allowances, Transparency International said.

 

But the share of EU lawmakers with a second job was higher among eurosceptics, with more than half of the 35 members of the far-right Europe of Nations and Freedom Group (ENF) declaring incomes from non-parliamentary activities.

 

Lawmakers from the ENF grouping, which is dominated by France's 'Rassemblement National' of Marine Le Pen, are also on average the best paid for second jobs, with over 100,000 euros of minimum additional earnings each, the report said.

 

Legislators of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy(EFDD) grouping, of which UKIP is a member, come third in the ranking of "moonlighting" MEPs compiled by Transparency International, after lawmakers of the centre-right European People's Party, the largest group in the current legislature which began in 2014 and ends next year.

 

The incumbent MEP earning the most from non-parliamentary activities is the Italian centre-left legislator Renato Soru, who is the founder of internet service company Tiscali, one of the largest in Italy.

 

Since the beginning of his mandate, he has put aside 1.5 million euros from his telecoms business on top of his parliament's earnings, the report said, confirming the large revenues he made before he became a MEP.

 

MOONLIGHT STARS

While some MEPs were rich before their election, others got much wealthier during their mandate.

 

Topping the list of those who most increased their private earnings is Lithuanian centre-right legislator Antanas Guoga who has expanded his declared sidelines revenues from zero in 2014 to nearly 250,000 euros a month this year, data in the report showed.

 

He told Reuters he could have mistakenly declared the same earnings twice and that his private income may be lower. He also argued that since he had been elected his private income, which mostly come from investments in digital start-ups, had gone down.

 

MEPs were required to submit in 2014 a declaration with all their income in the three years preceding their election. Guoga declared no income in his 2014 form, according to the report.

 

Farage's private earnings of 30,000 euros a month last year contrasted with the much more modest 1,000-euro monthly income he enjoyed at the beginning of his mandate.

 

A spokesman for the Brexiteer's group in the EU Parliament said Farage's income declaration was publicly available: "Everybody is welcome to look at it."

 

Le Pen's party member, Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, is third in the list of MEPs with the largest increase of personal sidelines with a nine-fold private pay rise from the beginning of his mandate until his last declaration last year when he disclosed earnings of over 20,000 euros a month for consulting activities, data in the report showed.

 

His revenues came "from a consultancy called 'MWD Dubai' for which no information on clients or fields of activity was available online," Transparency International said. Schaffhauser did not reply to Reuters' requests for comment.

 

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-10

The mouthpiece of the EU Reuters comes out with an article on Nigel Farage. LOL They must be 'bricking it' in case he starts his own party and takes the conservative MP's votes and actually delivering on Brexit. How coincidental such an article. 

The article appears to suggest that they are doing something wrong.

1 hour ago, Laughing Gravy said:

The mouthpiece of the EU Reuters comes out with an article on Nigel Farage. LOL They must be 'bricking it' in case he starts his own party and takes the conservative MP's votes and actually delivering on Brexit. How coincidental such an article. 

Are you disputing anything the article says?

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Are you disputing anything the article says?

I am saying, what a timely coincidence.

I am also saying that Reuters is a well known EU mouthpiece.

I am implying that the EU through its mouthpiece would hate the fact Nigel Farage start his campaign again, to get the UK out of the EU, especially after the hard work they have done may.

 

As to giving the article any credit. I won't even waste a sentence.

2 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I am saying, what a timely coincidence.

I am also saying that Reuters is a well known EU mouthpiece.

I am implying that the EU through its mouthpiece would hate the fact Nigel Farage start his campaign again, to get the UK out of the EU, especially after the hard work they have done may.

 

As to giving the article any credit. I won't even waste a sentence.

Farage isn’t coming back.

 

He’s not an idiot, he knew exactly when to quit.

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Farage isn’t coming back.

 

He’s not an idiot, he knew exactly when to quit.

Thank you for your insight and opinion. I beg to differ. You put it so eloquently. I am sure you will get a few likes that will cheer you up.  Just for your information he is still an MEP . He hasn't quit.

Just now, Laughing Gravy said:

Thank you for your insight and opinion. I beg to differ. You put it so eloquently. I am sure you will get a few likes that will cheer you up.  Just for your information he is still an MEP . He hasn't quit.

No hasn’t quit as MEP, he loves the pay, expenses and pension.

 

A bit of ‘EU Parliamentary immunity’ might also be in his mind.

 

But he’s quit Brexit.

18 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I am saying, what a timely coincidence.

I am also saying that Reuters is a well known EU mouthpiece.

I am implying that the EU through its mouthpiece would hate the fact Nigel Farage start his campaign again, to get the UK out of the EU, especially after the hard work they have done may.

 

As to giving the article any credit. I won't even waste a sentence.

 

Reuters is not a mouthpiece for anyone, it is among the least biased news providers in the world, your nonsense really is wasted space, so no don't bother, you clearly haven't a clue! 

6 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Reuters is not a mouthpiece for anyone, it is among the least biased news providers in the world, your nonsense really is wasted space, so no don't bother, you clearly haven't a clue! 

??. You believe that. OK.

Next you will be saying the BBC isn't biased either. 

18 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

No hasn’t quit as MEP, he loves the pay, expenses and pension.

 

A bit of ‘EU Parliamentary immunity’ might also be in his mind.

 

But he’s quit Brexit.

I think we all would like to get paid for a job that we have done for 20 years.

 

His sole aim was to get a referendum and get the leave result, as a win. He did that. Obviously you don't like him well that's your prerogative.

13 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I think we all would like to get paid for a job that we have done for 20 years.

 

His sole aim was to get a referendum and get the leave result, as a win. He did that. Obviously you don't like him well that's your prerogative.

So you don't see any hypocrisy at all here? OK.

15 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

??. You believe that. OK.

Next you will be saying the BBC isn't biased either. 

 

It would really be down to you to demonstrate your audacious claim, reporting facts that you can't handle does not make them their mouthpiece.

 

All news providers are evaluated for bias by independent bodies, Reuters gets a top score, the BBC does not, it gets rated as being slightly left of centre. 

 

Name a news provider you trust, one you think is not biased.

 

 

17 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I think we all would like to get paid for a job that we have done for 20 years.

 

His sole aim was to get a referendum and get the leave result, as a win. He did that. Obviously you don't like him well that's your prerogative.

 

His reasoning for Brexit was the loss of power to the EU, his party rarely show up for work and when they do they refuse to vote, they took away our power in the EU, only dimwits can't see what they did.

9 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Thank you for your insight and opinion. I beg to differ. You put it so eloquently. I am sure you will get a few likes that will cheer you up.  Just for your information he is still an MEP . He hasn't quit.

 

Of course he hasn't quit. Still plenty of gravy there to dip into.