EU parliamentarian Emma Wiesner (C) donates one million of her allowance from the parliament to Ukraine.
But now the gift is receiving criticism.
– I think you should pay back the EU administration, says Ulrik Åshuvud at Transparency International Sweden.
It was in connection with TV4 Nyheterna’s review of the EU parliamentarians’ remuneration that Emma Wiesner (C) said that the remunerations she and the other politicians receive were “fantasy sums that cannot be done away with”.
According to Wiesner, during her three years as a parliamentarian, she has received around one million kroner in excess, which she therefore did not need to do her job. But instead of returning the tax money to the administration in the EU, she thought of donating the money.
– I have decided that I will donate all the money that is left of the office money to Ukraine, says Emma Wiesner.
In addition to their monthly salary, EU parliamentarians receive several different tax-free allowances that do not need to be reported. In total, parliamentarians receive a sum that corresponds to a monthly salary of SEK 400,000 a month.
“Should Pay Back”
The anti-corruption organization Transparency International is strongly critical and demands that the fees be lowered and that the politicians report how they used the tax money. But Secretary General Ulrik Åshuvud is also critical of Emma Wiesner’s gift.
– That shows the deficiency in the system. Here, it is obviously far too much money that you get. But it is also surprising that they do not want to pay back, he says.
– I think that you should pay back the EU administration because then it just goes into the general administration. Then you also don’t really have confidence in the business you actually work for.