Decision of the Bureau of 19 May and 9 July 2008 concerning implementing measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament

The salary received by a Member for exercising a mandate in another parliament simultaneously with that in Parliament shall be offset against the salary provided for in Article 10 of the Statute.

‘Another parliament’ as referred to in paragraph 1 shall mean any parliament established in a Member State which has legislative powers to which Article 7(2) of the Act concerning the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage ([^E0001]) does not apply.

The calculation shall be based on the total of the two salaries before the deduction of tax.

Members shall state in their declarations of financial interests any mandate held within the meaning of paragraph 1 above, and any salary received as a result of that mandate.

Pursuant to Article 18 of the Statute, and applying mutatis mutandis the rules drawn up by common agreement between the institutions of the Communities ([^E0002]), and their general implementing provisions ([^E0003]), the following persons shall be entitled to reimbursement of two-thirds of the costs that they incur as a result of sickness, pregnancy or the birth of a child:

The reimbursements provided for in paragraph 1 shall be debited to Parliament’s budget. Article 72(3) and (4) of Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No 259/68 of the Council of 29 February 1968 laying down the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities ([^E0004]) and Article 20(6) of the aforementioned rules shall apply.

Advances within the meaning of Article 30 of the aforementioned rules may only be granted in the form of direct billing of hospitalisation expenses. Following application of the reimbursement scale, the part of the expenses to be defrayed by the beneficiaries referred to in paragraph 1 of this article shall be paid back to Parliament in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 30(2) and (3) of the said rules.

Members and former Members in receipt of the transitional allowance provided for in Article 13 of the Statute or of a pension pursuant to Articles 14 and 15 of the Statute may waive their entitlement to reimbursement of medical expenses as provided for in paragraph 1 with effect from the first day of the month following the date of submission of the request. In that case they shall be entitled to reimbursement of two thirds of the contribution due for health insurance provided that the total amount reimbursed does not exceed EUR 400 per month.

Any Member or former Member who, pursuant to paragraph 4, waives his or her entitlement to reimbursement of medical expenses may not return to the system of entitlement to reimbursement of medical expenses as provided for in paragraph 1 until 12 months have elapsed from the date on which the waiver took effect. Likewise, any subsequent change, whether it concerns a return to the system of entitlement to reimbursement of medical expenses as provided for in paragraph 1 or a waiver of such entitlement, may be made only after a minimum period of 12 months.

The amount referred to in paragraph 4 may be adapted annually by the Bureau up to the annual rate of increase of the average amount reimbursed per recipient by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme for officials of European Communities.

This Article shall also apply to former Members receiving the transitional allowance referred to in Article 45 for the period running from the first day following cessation of their duties to the date of the commencement of their entitlement to the transitional allowance.

This Article shall also apply to former Members receiving the old-age pension referred to in Article 49 for the period running from the first day following cessation of their duties to the date of the commencement of their entitlement to the pension, provided that the conditions set out in Article 49(1) were fulfilled before the cessation of their duties.

Under the conditions laid down in the insurance contracts, Members shall be entitled to:

Two-thirds of the insurance premiums due shall be charged to Parliament’s budget and the remaining third to Members. The contribution of each Member shall be deducted directly from the salary provided for in Article 10 of the Statute.

This article shall apply to all Members from the beginning of their mandate unless they notify the Secretary-General in writing of their express wish to forgo insurance cover. Where applicable, their right to insurance cover shall lapse on the last day of the month in which notification of that wish was given.

The accident insurance policy shall provide for cover against accidents to Members anywhere in the world throughout their mandate.

The provisions of the accident insurance policy shall provide for:

The rules provided for in paragraph 2, point (c) shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to Members. The provisions concerning occupational diseases and life annuities and any provision the application of which is inseparable from the status of an official shall not apply. The complaints procedure provided for in Article 72 shall apply.

In accordance with the conditions laid down in the rules referred to in paragraph 2, point (c), cover shall also extend to medical and pharmaceutical expenses, costs of hospitalisation, surgery, prostheses, radiography, massage and orthopaedics, invoices from clinics, transport costs and any similar expenses necessitated by the accident. However, this reimbursement shall be made only after exhaustion of, and as a supplement to, those which the person concerned receives pursuant to the provisions on the reimbursement of medical expenses laid down in Article 18 of the Statute.

The insurance policy against theft and loss of personal property and effects shall provide for:

In the event of theft or loss occurring off Parliament’s premises, cover shall be provided only if the Member concerned is travelling on official business at the time. If the theft occurs on Parliament’s premises, cover shall be provided if the effects or property stolen were kept in a safe place.

A theft or loss of money which occurs off Parliament’s premises and which is reported to the police shall be covered up to a maximum of EUR 250 if the lost or stolen money forms part of other personal effects lost or stolen. Theft or loss of money on Parliament’s premises shall not be covered.

In the event of baggage being lost or mislaid for more than 12 hours by a carrier when a Member is travelling on official business to a destination other than his or her place of residence, the personal effects or property which the Member has to buy or hire shall be covered up to a ceiling of EUR 500.

Any theft or loss of personal effects or property shall be reported by the Member concerned to the police if it occurred off Parliament’s premises. If it occurred on Parliament’s premises, it shall be reported to the Security Unit.

Thefts and losses shall be reported to the Secretary-General within eight days. The report form shall be accompanied by an invoice for the lost or stolen object or, failing that, for the replacement item if the value exceeds EUR 700.

The insurance shall not cover thefts and losses covered by a private insurance policy held by the Member.

Members shall be entitled to reimbursement of expenses actually incurred in undertaking:

The following shall also be regarded as ordinary travel expenses: travel expenses incurred by Members in undertaking any specific mission authorised by the President, the Bureau or the Conference of Presidents.

‘Official Parliament bodies’ shall mean Parliament bodies, as defined in Title I, Chapter 3, of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, along with the parliamentary committees, the interparliamentary delegations and other delegations constituted on the basis of those Rules of Procedure, the political groups and the other bodies authorised by the Bureau or the Conference of Presidents.

A Member’s attendance shall be attested by his or her signature in the record of attendance available in the Chamber or meeting room or by his or her signature in the central attendance register entered during its opening hours as laid down by the Bureau. An electronic attestation of a Member’s attendance may be used instead of his or her signature.

By way of exception, attendance may be attested by other documents proving that the Member was present at the meeting venue during normal meeting hours. This option may be used on no more than five occasions per half-parliamentary term.

Declarations by the Member or another person shall not be regarded as proof of attendance within the meaning of paragraphs 1 and 2. However, in the cases referred to in Article 10(1), points (b) and (c), and Article 10(2), attendance shall be attested by the Member’s declaration.

Applications for reimbursement of travel expenses must be accompanied by supporting documents indicating the price paid, the route taken and the class, date and time of travel, and, in particular:

By way of derogation from paragraph 1, in the event of travel by car Members shall submit a declaration indicating the registration number of the car used to make the journey and, for car journeys in the Member State of election, the distance travelled and the places of departure and arrival, or, for all other car journeys, the mileage at the places of departure and arrival. Should the length of the journey exceed 800 km, the declaration shall be accompanied by supporting documents which make it possible to determine the date on which the journey was made (e.g. a fuel purchase receipt pertaining to a transaction at the place of departure or during the journey, motorway toll slip, car rental contract or invoice, etc.).

The cost of season tickets or a card entitling a named individual to a reduced fare for the journeys made may be reimbursed in the form of an advance. The advance shall be regularised at the end of the season ticket or card's validity.

A Member who purchases tickets from Parliament's travel agency may, on his or her sole responsibility, and after signing an acknowledgement of receipt, ask the relevant department to reimburse the cost directly to the travel agency. In such cases, the relevant department may retrieve the supporting documents listed under paragraph 1 from the reservation system of the travel agency.

The journeys referred to in Article 10(1), point (a) must be undertaken only for the purpose of attending official activities taking place on days set aside for them in Parliament’s official calendar of business.

The journeys referred to in Article 10(2) must be undertaken on the days fixed by the body empowered to authorise travel.

Reimbursement of the travel expenses incurred in making a journey to one of Parliament’s places of work or a meeting venue shall be calculated on the basis of the most direct route between the Member’s place of residence, as defined in paragraph 2, or the capital city of his or her Member State of election, and the place of work or meeting venue.

‘Place of residence’ shall mean the place, situated on the territory of the Community, where the Member ordinarily resides, i.e. actually lives on a fairly consistent basis, without prejudice to the performance of his or her parliamentary duties. The Member shall inform the relevant department of that place of residence.

The most direct route shall be determined by taking into account:

When a Member takes up his or her duties or changes his or her place of residence, he or she shall be informed of the airport and station and the most direct, i.e. the shortest, routes which will be used for the purpose of applying these Implementing Measures.

At any time the Member may propose to the relevant department, in writing, stating his or her reasons, a different route offering a substantial gain in terms of time or convenience and not involving additional costs of more than 20 %. If that route is accepted, it shall replace the most direct route as determined in accordance with paragraph 3.

In the event of a break in the journey, travel expenses shall be reimbursed from the last place of departure. A break in the journey shall be any break of more than one night, excluding Saturdays and Sundays and public holidays, made on the Member's route to or from one of Parliament's places of work or an official meeting venue.

If the point of departure or arrival does not correspond to the Member’s place of residence or the capital of the Member State in which he or she was elected, travel expenses shall be reimbursed up to a maximum of the expenses which the Member would have incurred in making the journey to or from that place of residence by the most direct, i.e. the shortest, route.

In the case of journeys undertaken between two places of work and/or meeting venues, paragraphs 3 and 7 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

The tariffs used for the purposes of these implementing measures shall be updated periodically and at least twice a year.

Members shall be entitled to reimbursement of the expenses incurred in making one return journey per Parliament working week between their place of residence or the capital of the Member State in which they were elected and a place of work or meeting venue (hereinafter referred to as ‘main journey’).

Except during weeks set aside in Parliament's official calendar of business for activities away from its places of work, Members shall also be entitled to reimbursement of the expenses incurred in making one return journey in the middle of a Parliament working week between a place of work or a meeting venue and their place of residence or another point of departure in the Member State in which they were elected (hereinafter referred to as ‘intermediate journeys’).

The entitlement to reimbursement of expenses incurred in making intermediate journeys shall be independent of the entitlement to reimbursement of the travel expenses incurred in making journeys within the Member State in which a Member was elected, as referred to in Article 10(1), point (c).

Members shall not be entitled to any reimbursement in respect of journeys undertaken using a means of transport made available by Parliament.

Members who were unable to use an official car shall be entitled, on presentation of supporting documents, to reimbursement of taxi fares incurred in making journeys between the airport or station of arrival or departure and the place of work or meeting venue. The rules governing the reimbursement of taxi fares, and the reimbursement ceilings, shall be laid down by the Bureau.

In respect of journeys within the European Union, Members shall be entitled to distance and duration allowances intended to cover all travel-related expenses. This entitlement shall apply only to the main journey within the meaning of Article 18(1).

No entitlement to the distance and duration allowances shall arise in respect of the journeys referred to in Article 10(1), points (b) and (c) or in the cases referred to in Article 18(4). A break in a journey as referred to in Article 17(6) or of any other kind shall not create any additional entitlement to a duration or distance allowance.

The amounts of the distance and duration allowances:

If the additional travel-related expenses incurred by the Member exceed the amount of the distance allowance, he or she may apply for reimbursement of the difference, subject to presentation of supporting documents.

The minimum period of time which must be spent at the place of work or meeting venue in order to entitle Members to payment of the duration and distance allowances shall be four hours.

The distance allowance shall be calculated as follows:

The amounts shall be calculated on the basis of the shortest outward or return route between the town centre of the Member’s place of residence and the arrival infrastructure of the meeting venue.

The duration allowance shall be calculated as follows:

The duration of the journey shall be calculated as follows:

The maximum annual amount which may be reimbursed in respect of travel expenses incurred in the cases referred to in Article 10(1), point (b), shall be EUR 4 886 .

On that basis, and on presentation of the relevant original bill or invoice, Members may also apply for reimbursement of taxi fares, car rental costs, hotel bills and other related expenses incurred during the period of official activities. This entitlement shall also cover the day before the start and the day after the end of the period of official activities.

The maximum annual amount which may be reimbursed in respect of the travel expenses actually incurred by committee or subcommittee chairs travelling to attend conferences or events which deal with a matter of European interest falling within the sphere of responsibility of their committee or subcommittee and which have a parliamentary dimension shall be EUR 4 886 . Such participation shall require prior authorisation from the President of Parliament, following verification that appropriations up to the maximum amount indicated above are available.

The entitlement to the reimbursement of travel expenses incurred in the Member State in which a Member was elected, as referred to in Article 10(1), point (c), may not exceed, per calendar year:

Travel expenses incurred within an urban area using public transport (including taxis) shall be reimbursed on the basis of the usual supporting documents for the means of transport used. The amount reimbursed shall be divided by the amount per km payable for car journeys, and the result deducted from the number of kilometres referred to in paragraph 1(b).

Where a Member whose place of residence, as defined in Article 17(2), is in a Member State other than that in which he or she was elected travels between that place of residence and his or her Member State of election in the exercise of his or her mandate, the journeys made shall be considered as journeys within the Member State of election for the purposes of paragraph 1(a) and (b).

Members shall be entitled to a subsistence allowance for each day’s attendance:

If the official activity takes place on the territory of the Union, a Member shall receive a lump-sum allowance of EUR 350.

If the official activity takes place outside the territory of the Community, a Member shall receive:

If the hotel bills submitted concern double rooms, reimbursement shall not exceed 85 % of the total bill.

If the duration of the Member’s stay at the place of work is less than four hours and the journeys to and from the place of work are undertaken on the same day, the subsistence allowance shall be reduced by half.

A Member who, in the course of an official journey as referred to in Article 10(1), point (a), (2) and (2a), falls seriously ill or is the victim of an accident or of unforeseen circumstances that prevent the journey from proceeding smoothly shall be entitled to the assistance of Parliament. That assistance shall include the organisation of repatriation and the assumption of responsibility for payment of any associated costs. The Member, or, where appropriate, his or her representative, may request repatriation to one of Parliament’s places of work or to his or her place of residence.

In the event of the death of a Member during such an official journey, the expenses incurred in transporting the deceased back to his or her place of residence may also be reimbursed.

Parliament shall discharge its assistance obligations by means of an insurance policy. The rights of Members referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be exercised under the conditions laid down in the policy.

The insurance policy shall cover inter alia the cost of provision of the following assistance:

Members who, under Rule 152 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, have been excluded from the Chamber shall forfeit, for the duration of their exclusion, their entitlement to the subsistence allowance provided for in Article 24.

Members shall forfeit their entitlement to the subsistence allowance in the cases referred to in Rule 153 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

Members shall be entitled to assistance from personal staff whom they may freely choose. Parliament shall defray expenses actually incurred and arising wholly and exclusively from the employment of one or more assistants or the use of service providers in accordance with these implementing measures and the conditions laid down by the Bureau.

Only expenses for assistance which is necessary and directly linked to the exercise of a Member’s parliamentary mandate may be defrayed. Expenses linked to a Member’s private life may on no account be defrayed.

Expenses shall be defrayable for the duration of a Member’s term of office. Only expenses incurred at the most 30 days before the application for defrayal is submitted in accordance with this chapter can be defrayed.

The maximum monthly amount defrayable in respect of all the personal staff referred to in Article 30 shall be EUR 29 557 with effect from 1 January 2024.

Where a Member’s term of office does not begin on the first day of a month or does not end on the last day of a month, the parliamentary assistance expenses defrayable for that month shall be calculated on a pro rata basis.

The unused balance of the monthly amount provided for in paragraph 4 which has accumulated at the end of the financial year shall be carried over to the next financial year, up to a maximum of the monthly amount referred to in that paragraph.

Members shall make use of:

Several Members may, by written agreement, form a grouping in order jointly to employ or use the services of one or more assistants, as referred to in paragraph 1, or of one or more trainees. In such case, the Members concerned shall designate from amongst their number the Member or Members authorised to sign the contracts, or to submit a request for recruitment, on behalf of the grouping.

Articles 31 to 38 shall not apply to accredited parliamentary assistants.

Expenses incurred in connection with traineeship agreements, established on the basis of the conditions laid down by the Bureau, may also be defrayed.

Members may also make use of natural or legal persons providing services in order to obtain occasional and clearly identified services directly linked to the exercise of their parliamentary mandate, in accordance with the conditions laid down in this chapter.

The services provided may not include the provision of staff, except for temporary services by service providers who provide such services on a professional and regular basis and are authorised under national law to provide such services.

The Bureau shall adopt a list of expenses which may be defrayed for the purpose of parliamentary assistance ([^E0006]).

The names of assistants and trainees as well as the names or corporate names of service providers and of paying agents shall, for the duration of their contract, be published on the website of the European Parliament, together with the name of the Member or Members they assist.

The number of contracts between a Member and accredited assistants in force at any given time may not exceed three, regardless of the duration of work provided for in those contracts. This limit may be increased to four if an exemption is expressly granted by the President of Parliament following verification by the relevant department that the Member concerned has sufficient office space to comply with the standards applicable to the use of Parliament’s buildings, taking into account also the number of trainees that may be present.

At least 25 % of the amount provided for in Article 29(4) shall be earmarked for meeting costs arising under Title VII of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union. Therefore, all costs in respect of parliamentary assistance expenses other than those arising under Title VII of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union may not together exceed 75 % of the amount provided for in Article 29(4).

Parliament shall defray expenses of local assistants for gross earnings or fees net of VAT up to monthly ceilings which shall be established by the Bureau in accordance with paragraph 12. The ceilings may be adapted by the Bureau annually. The applicable ceilings shall be published on Parliament’s website.

The ceilings shall correspond to three times the reference amount. The reference amount shall be one-twelfth of the amount published by Eurostat as being the average gross annual pay of persons in full-time employment in the Member State of election of the Member concerned.

All the employment and service contracts, as well as any traineeship agreements in respect of trainees who are based in the Member State of election, concluded by a Member or a grouping of Members, shall be administered by a paying agent established in a Member State.

Paying agent services shall be performed by a natural or legal person duly authorised within a Member State to exercise a professional activity dealing with the tax- and social security-related aspects of employment contracts or service contracts under national law.

A Member shall conclude an individual contract with a paying agent of his or her choice who fulfils the requirement laid down in paragraph 2.

The contract between the Member and the paying agent shall be concluded on the basis of a standard contract approved by the Bureau.

The paying agent shall ensure that national and Community law, in particular as regards social security and tax obligations, is properly complied with in respect of the contracts he or she manages.

Paying agents’ fees shall be paid on submission of the relevant invoices or fee statements.

Members shall supply their paying agents with all the documents and information they require in order to ensure the lawfulness and sound management of the contracts for which they are responsible, in particular the documents and information referred to in Article 33(2), Article 34(1), point (a), Article 36, Article 37(1), point (a) and Article 38.

Parliament shall pay the paying agent the amounts due under the contracts, including traineeship agreements, for which he or she is responsible, on submission of the requisite supporting documents.

At the request of the Member, Parliament shall exceptionally pay on his or her behalf net salaries directly to those assistants with whom the Member has concluded an employment contract. The paying agent shall inform the relevant department without delay of the amounts payable in respect of social security and tax, and shall draw up the salary slips.

Whenever circumstances so require, Parliament may, in the context of an employment contract and at the request of a Member, pay advances on the payments referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5.

Applications for defrayal of parliamentary assistance expenses pursuant to Article 30(1), point (b), (2), (4) and (5), specifying the beneficiaries and the amounts of the payments to be made, shall be submitted to the relevant department by the Member or by his or her paying agent, and shall be duly countersigned by all the Members concerned and, save in the case provided for in Article 32(5a)(b), by the paying agent. They shall be accompanied by the supporting documents referred to in Article 34 in respect of employment contracts and those referred to in Article 37 in respect of service contracts.

Members shall immediately inform their paying agents and the relevant department of any change in their contractual relations and the instructions concerning payments, indicating the changes made to the contract.

For each of the local assistants employed, paying agents shall forward to the relevant department, at the latest by 31 March of the year following the Parliament's financial year in question, statements of the expenses incurred in respect of salaries, tax deductions and employers’ and employees’ social security contributions and any other defrayable expenses, in particular for the purpose of the regularisation of the advances paid. They shall, in addition, provide evidence that the local assistants in question belong to a social security scheme, indicating the Member as the employer, and a certificate of insurance against work-related accidents where the applicable national law requires such insurance. They shall also certify that all the obligations arising from applicable national law have been met.

Following verification of the statements referred to in paragraph 1, notification shall be forwarded by the relevant department to the paying agents, with copies to the Member, stating whether or not the payments made are regular and, where appropriate, which documents are missing and must still be submitted.

Paying agents shall, for the period laid down by the applicable national law, and for at least one year from the end of the parliamentary term concerned, keep a pay statement record book itemising sums paid by way of remuneration and tax and employers’ and employees’ social security contributions. Should a contract with a paying agent be terminated prior to the end of the Member’s term of office, a certified true copy of the pay statement record book shall be forwarded immediately to the new paying agent of the Member’s choice, as referred to in Article 31(3).

Assistants shall abstain from any actions bringing them into conflict with the interests of the Members they assist and those of Parliament. They shall without delay inform the Member concerned of their intention to engage in any remunerated or unremunerated outside activity or to stand for election.

The Member shall immediately inform the relevant department of any changes in the conditions of employment affecting parliamentary assistance expenses and of any plans by assistants to engage in outside activities or to stand for election. The Member must ensure that outside activities and standing for election do not interfere with the performance by assistants of their duties or run counter to the financial interests of the Union. The relevant department may require evidence of the arrangements made to that end with the assistants concerned.

Local assistants intending to stand for election shall comply with national laws regarding electoral campaigns. At least for the duration of the official campaign, assistants must be on annual leave or unpaid leave. If they are elected the defrayal of the expenses in relation to them shall cease unless they can provide evidence that their mandate is consistent with the performance of their duties as parliamentary assistants.

Contracts concluded between Members and assistants must include the obligations imposed in paragraphs 2 and 4.

By way of derogation from Article 29(3), additional expenses incurred when the employment contracts concluded by Members with their local assistants terminate by virtue of the fact that their term of office has come to an end may be defrayed, provided that these expenses arise from compliance with applicable national labour law, including collective agreements.

Paragraph 1 shall not apply if:

Paying agents shall submit to the relevant department an application for payment of the expenses referred to in paragraph 1, duly countersigned by the Member and specifying the legal basis for such payment, within three months following the end of the Member’s term of office.

Where Members are legally required under applicable national labour law to pay, in respect of the expenses falling within the scope of paragraph 1, an amount which is more than three times that referred to in Article 29(4), such expenses may be defrayed on an exceptional basis on submission of duly established supporting documents which must be certified by the competent national authorities. Applications for defrayal shall be submitted under the procedure laid down in paragraph 3.

In order to cover expenses relating to the termination of an employment contract that cannot be defrayed under paragraphs 1 to 4, Members may instruct their paying agent to set aside funds from the amount referred to in Article 29(4) and to carry them over to the following financial years provided that the following conditions are satisfied:

With the exception of occasional services the cost of which does not exceed EUR 500 including VAT, an application for defrayal of expenses must be submitted before the conclusion of a contract for the provision of services and must contain:

The cost of services provided shall be defrayed on submission to the relevant department by the Member of an invoice or fee statement describing in detail the services actually provided and a copy of the contract concluded with the service provider. The invoice or fee statement shall be accompanied by confirmation by the Member that the service has actually been provided. Upon request by the relevant department, the Member shall also submit the main supporting documents.

The Bureau shall adopt the rules governing Members’ access to Parliament’s internal services and the provision of equipment and facilities to Members, in particular as regards:

The Bureau may also adopt provisions granting former Presidents of Parliament, during their term of office, and former Members access to Parliament’s facilities.

Members shall be entitled to a general expenditure allowance to cover expenses which arise in the course of their parliamentary activities.

In accordance with Recital 17 and Article 20(3), of the Statute, the general expenditure allowance is paid in the form of a lump sum.

Members shall be entitled to the allowance from the month in which their application for payment is received.

Members may choose to receive all or part of the amount of the allowance.

The general expenditure allowance shall be payable for the duration of a Member’s term of office.

The monthly amount of the general expenditure allowance shall be EUR 4 950 .

Members whose term of office begins after the fifteenth day of the month shall receive only half the general expenditure allowance for that month.

Half the general expenditure allowance shall also be payable for a period of three months following the month in which a Member’s term of office ends, provided that the latter has served for at least six months and is not re-elected.

All payments in respect of the general expenditure allowance shall be made directly to Members.

Any Member who, in a parliamentary year (from 1 September to 31 August), is absent on at least 50 % of the days fixed by the Bureau for plenary sessions of Parliament shall reimburse to Parliament 50 % of the general expenditure allowance relating to that period.

Any period of absence referred to in paragraph 2 may be excused by the President on the grounds of ill-health or serious family circumstances, or the presence of the Member concerned elsewhere on mission on behalf of Parliament. Supporting documents shall be submitted to the Quaestors within a maximum of two months from the date on which the period of absence began.

A Member expecting a child shall be excused attendance at official meetings of Parliament for a period of three months preceding the birth of the child. The Member must submit a medical certificate indicating the probable date of confinement. After confinement, the Member shall be excused attendance at official meetings for a period of six months. The Member must submit a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

The general expenditure allowance is intended to cover inter alia expenses such as office running and office maintenance costs, office supplies and documentation, office equipment costs, representational activities or administrative costs.

If Members find that the amounts provided by way of other allowances under these Implementing Measures or other Parliament rules are exhausted, they may also use the general expenditure allowance to directly pay for activities which are covered by those allowances.

In order to facilitate the Members’ management and monitoring of their expenditure, Parliament shall pay the funds earmarked for the general expenditure allowance to an account dedicated to that allowance and to which it does not therefore transfer any other funds. Such an account shall be covered by the ordinary guarantees inherent in the mandate.

Members shall bear sole responsibility for the way in which the sums paid pursuant to this chapter are used.

Members shall be free to document their use of these sums, in detail or by type of cost as listed in paragraph 4, on their own or with the support of an external auditor, and to have this information published in whole or in part on their online page on Parliament’s website in accordance with Rule 11, paragraphs 4 and 5, of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

The types of cost referred to in paragraph 3 are as follows: