Funding for 150 new posts in the European Parliament and an increase in the budget provision for hiring MEPs' assistants was approved by Parliament on Thursday. Due to Parliament's vastly increased powers and tasks under the Lisbon Treaty, extra staff are needed in Parliament's political groups, its administration, and to work with MEPs.

The total cost of the new "Lisbon posts" would be €13.4 million, which represents 0.8% of Parliament's total 2010 budget of €1.6 billion. By way of compensation, Parliament decided to cut its internal reserve for buildings by €4 million, thus enabling it to stay within its self-imposed margin of 20% of the administrative expenditure of all EU institutions. With these additional measures, but also as a result of previous EU enlargements and the entry into force of the single statute for MEPs, which means their salaries are paid from Parliament's budget and no longer by national governments, Parliament's budget is now stretched to its limits. Today's vote is not the final decision. The resolution will need to be taken up in a formal budgetary proposal by the Commission, and ultimately approved by both Council and Parliament.

New staff

Parliament's vote provides for hiring an additional 75 civil servants and adding 75 posts to the staff of the political groups. The budget for hiring assistants, which is handled by Parliament's administrative services and not paid to MEPs themselves, will be raised by €1,500 per month and per MEP. MEPs will thus be able to hire more or better-qualified staff to help them cope with their new legislative responsibilities.

Seventy of the 75 new civil servants should go to reinforce staff on the parliamentary committees, where all legislation is examined before going to plenary. They will help tackle Parliament's new demands, inter alia in the agriculture, justice and home affairs, financial and economic fields. The remaining five would be hired to step up co-operation with national parliaments, which have a more important role under the Lisbon treaty.

Respecting the "20% rule"

Since 1988, Parliament has limited its administrative budget to 20% of the total EU administrative budget. Parliament uses as its reference basis the Financial Perspectives (also known as the Multiannual Financial Framework - MFF), the EU's multiannual budget. Parliament's share of EU's total administrative budget would go from 19.87% to 19.99%.

Although in 1988 the 20% ceiling was fixed on condition that it would not take account of any EU enlargements or the possible entry into force of a single statute for MEPs, Parliament has so far succeeded in keeping its administrative budget below 20% of the EU total, even though the number of EU Member States has meanwhile grown from 12 to 27 and the number of MEPs has risen from 434 to 736 and soon to 754 and even though Parliament now pays their salaries rather than the Member States.

What happens next?

The European Commission, which is the only EU institution allowed to propose amending budgets, is expected soon to table a proposal to amend Parliament's budget for 2010. This proposal could then be approved by the Council and Parliament in April.