Now he gets it!
Despairing Eurocrat Juncker calls near-empty EU Parliament ‘ridiculous’... and proves why so many Britons were right to vote for Brexit
‘Parliament is not serious’
JEAN-CLAUDE Juncker yesterday branded the European Parliament ‘totally ridiculous’ during a scathing attack on the work ethic of MEPs. The European Commission president was left furious after only 30 MEPs – equivalent to 4 per cent – turned up for an important earlymorning debate.
Standing in front of endless rows of empty seats in the institution’s Strasbourg chamber, the Brussels chief lost his temper and announced that he would boycott it in future.
‘I would like to welcome those that have actually taken the trouble to turn up this morning,’ he said. ‘The fact that there are only 30 MEPs present in this debate only illustrates the fact that parliament is not serious.’ The criticism from one of the EU’s most prominent defenders will prove particularly embarrassing for the European Parliament after repeated accusations of waste and largesse. Mr Juncker hit out after travelling to Strasbourg to speak alongside Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, at the parliament’s monthly session in the French city.
Angered at the poor attendance, he said that there would have been a ‘full house’ if German chancellor Angela Merkel or French president Emmanuel Macron had been speaking. ‘The parliament is totally ridiculous,’ he added.
Mr Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg, was interrupted by the parliament’s chief Antonio Tajani, who doubles as the chamber’s speaker, after launching the tirade.
Wagging his finger during the fiery exchange, he said: ‘ Mr President, could you please have a more respectful attitude? You may criticise the parliament yes, but the commission [the EU’s civil service] does not control the parliament, it’s the parliament that should be controlling the commission.’
Mr Juncker hit back, saying: ‘ There are only a few members in the parliament to control the commission. You are ridiculous.’
But Mr Tajani angrily interrupted him again and said: ‘Mr President, I will ask you please to change your language. We are not ridiculous, please. Please.’
Mr Juncker continued: ‘I will never again, I will never again attend a meeting of this kind.’
The remarks will once again draw attention to generous perks enjoyed by the parliament’s 751 MEPs, including a tax- free € 306 (£ 269) ‘daily allowance’ just for turning up.
To claim the fee MEPs only have to turn up for more than half the debates in a day.
MEPs also earn a range of other benefits, including a £46,000 ‘general expenditure allowance’ on top of their generous £89,000 annual salaries.
Insiders claimed that the ‘vast majority’ of MEPs were in Strasbourg yesterday but were locked away in meetings during the debate. At a later session, 683 MEPs turned up to vote.
The monthly journey by MEPs and their huge entourages to Strasbourg from Brussels for a four- day sitting has been described as a ‘travelling circus’ and costs European taxpayers around £175millon every year.
European Parliament is ‘totally ridiculous’ – and that’s official. This was the verdict of Jean-Claude Juncker, when only a handful of MEPs turned up to review the EU’s handling of the migrant crisis under Malta’s six-month presidency. Two questions. One: Has the EU commission president only just noticed the absurdity of this travelling circus, which shunts back and forth between Brussels and Strasbourg each month, costing taxpayers £150million a year in removal expenses alone? Two: Is he still surprised that British voters want nothing more to do with it?