A “parallel income” of 200 thousand euros. This is how much Roberto Vannacci’s extra income amounts to, which is added to his salary as an MEP. The representative of the League and member of the Patriots for Europe group in Brussels thus places himself in third place in the list of the richest European parliamentarians, drawn up by the NGO Transparency International.
Vannacci places himself behind the Romanian Gheorge Piperea (Ecr group), who dominates the ranking with 657 thousand euros of “parallel income”, and the French Laurent Castillo (PPE), with 231 thousand. The basic salary of MEPs amounts to 124 thousand euros, to which must be added an expense allowance of 59,400 euros and an attendance allowance usually worth 52,800 euros. The Transparency International study also lists several examples of open conflicts of interest.
MEPs with conflicts of interest
The extra income comes in many cases from external consultancy, carried out for companies, think tanks or trade associations. There is no shortage of clear cases of conflicts of interest. A striking example is that of the Austrian socialist Gunther Sidl (S&D), member of the Environment Committee, who earns another 5 thousand euros as a member of the sustainability advisory board of one of the largest electricity companies in Europe.
Vannacci and the sovereignist calendar with anti-Egonu cartoon: it is the gadget of his new political movement
Another case reported by the NGO is that of the People’s Party MEP Stefan Kohler. In addition to being a member of the Environment and Agriculture commissions, the German also earns 51,240 euros a year as president of the Bavarian farmers’ association. Still remaining in the rural sector, the German Monika Hohlmeier (EPP) earns around 75 thousand euros a year for her work for the multinational agriculture and energy company BayWa. Now in her fourth term in Strasbourg, she is a member of the Budget Committee. In Vannacci’s case, the parallel income derives above all from the sale of the book published in 2023, “The world upside down”, which in addition to proving to be an editorial success, launched his political career.
The MEP with intense relations with Russia
According to the study, 74% of EU MEPs have a secondary income, while around 30% say they have a real second job. The total extra income among all deputies amounts to over 6.3 million euros. The most striking case of “parallel income” emerged last year in May. The Lithuanian MP Viktor Uspaskich had finished at the top of the Transparency international ranking thanks to the 3 million euros per year obtained through a company with commercial interests with Russia. After the European elections in June Uspaskich did not regain his seat as an MEP, but in August he was at the center of a criminal investigation for fraudulent payments worth over 500 thousand euros. He told local media that the accusations were “unfounded”.
