Top Eurocrats get huge pay rise

GREEDY Eurocrats are on course for three pay rises in the next 12 months, boosting their already generous salaries by more than five per cent, the Daily Express can reveal.

Herman Van Rompuy EU President is one of over 1000 eurocrats earning more than David Cameron Herman Van Rompuy, EU President is one of over 1000 eurocrats earning more than David Cameron

While European families are being called on to make huge sacrifices to bring their countries out of recession, they must also pay to make Brussels bureaucrats richer by thousands of pounds a year.

Last night UK Independence Party Euro MP Nigel Farage said: “Their arrogance is laid bare. All of us face pay cuts and loss of jobs while they get richer. This proves that the only recession-proof job is working for the European Union.”

DO EUROCRATS DESERVE HUGE PAY RISES...HAVE YOUR SAY HERE..

Fiona McEvoy of the TaxPayers’ Alliance added: “This is a slap in the face for UK taxpayers who hand over nearly £21million a day to Brussels, only to see Eurocrats give themselves generous rises.

This proves that the only recession-proof job is working for the European Union

Nigel Farage, UKIP

“Families here have had to tighten their belts, and spending will have to be reduced as we try to tackle the crisis, but politicians in Brussels seem oblivious to economic reality.”

A Treasury spokesman added: “At a time when governments have taken action to reduce the costs of their public sector, including  freezing or even cutting civil service salaries and reviewing pension schemes, the UK Government believes that pay and pensions in EU bodies  must reflect the very difficult decisions being made right across  Europe.”

The controversial pay rises for the 35,000 Eurocrats have emerged in the EU Commission’s budget plan for the coming year.

It states: “A salary increase of 2.2 per cent is expected at the end of 2010 with a potential further adjustment to 1.3 per cent in 2011.”

The officials are set for a third increase following a court resolution of the dispute over a 3.7 per cent increase that UK and other EU states halted due to the financial crisis.

This will be dated back to July last year, costing taxpayers even more.

The matter went to the European Court of Justice, which is expected to find in the Eurocrats’ favour when it delivers its verdict next month. A source close to the Commission said: “They stand a good chance of getting the extra money because of the binding statute for automatic increase in salaries.”

The controversial hikes will see the lowest paid EU official’s salary rise by £2,200 to more than £40,000 a year in pay and allowances. Top-earning Eurocrats will see their salaries go up by almost £12,000 to a massive £222,850.

No one from the EU Treasury was available for comment.

A spokesman for the think-tank Open Europe said: “The Government needs to stand up for UK taxpayers and make it clear that handing over more money to Brussels when it is budget-cutting at home is simply unacceptable.”

Last month it emerged that more than 1,000 Eurocrats are paid more than the Prime Minister, whose annual income of £142,500 is dwarfed by Herman Van Rompuy, earning £245,000 plus expenses as EU President.

Mr Van Rompuy, EU foreign minister Lady Ashton and Jose Manuel Barroso, the Commission President, head a list of 1,023 Eurocrats on bigger salaries than David Cameron.

Six vice-presidents and 19 commissioners are paid between £57,000 and £103,000 more than the Prime Minister, while 90 of the EU’s 995 civil servants paid £146,267 to £179,703 are British.

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