An odd little story about the process of the Parliament and the Press. On Tuesday the daily Telegraph carried a story about the costs of the President of the Parliament's office. It is accepted general knowledge in the Parliament that Hans-Gert Poettering has presided over a significant increase in patronage.In particular the article makes the claim that there are now 46 members of staff working for Poettering and that an estimate of the costs of his personal office is £2.5 million per annum.
It is interesting to note that a very disgruntled press officer wrote a complaint.
I am writing to you to clarify some facts reported inaccurately in an article published in your newspaper on 4 December about the staff of the President of the European Parliament. The total number of staff in the private office of the President of the European Parliament currently comprises 38 posts, not 46. This figure is one more than in the office of his predecessor and reflects, in part, the fact that on 1 January 2007 two new member states joined the European Union. There are in fact two drivers, not three. The press team consists of a spokesperson and four press officers - and not the seven press officers cited - as well as two assistants. The team's responsibilities include media relations in all 27 member states, as well as other tasks. ...etcLets look at this claim shall we.
According to his own website here
Head of Cabinet
Klaus WELLE
Head of Cabinet
klaus.welle@europarl.europa.euChristine KUHNERT
Assistant
christine.kuhnert@europarl.europa.eu--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deputy Head of Cabinet
Ciril ŠTOKELJ
Deputy Head of Cabinet
ciril.stokelj@europarl.europa.euRosa-Maria LICOP CABO
Assistant
rosa-maria.licop@europarl.europa.eu--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Advisor
Gerard BOKANOWSKI
Special Advisor
gerard.bokanowski@europarl.europa.euClara GONIN
Assistant
clara.gonin@europarl.europa.eu--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategy and Political Bodies
Anthony TEASDALE
Team Leader
anthony.teasdale@europarl.europa.euAstrid WORUM
Speech Writer
astrid.worum@europarl.europa.euThomas SUBELACK
Advisor
thomas.subelack@europarl.europa.euMonique BRASSEUR
Assistant
monique.brasseur@europarl.europa.euClaire MEYER
Assistant
claire.meyer@europarl.europa.eu--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Policies
Antonio PRETO
Team Leader
antonio.preto@europarl.europa.euKaren FREDSGAARD
Advisor
karen.fredsgaard@europarl.europa.euEschel ALPERMANN
Advisor
eschel.alpermann@europarl.europa.euJohann Friedrich COLSMAN
Advisor
johannfriedrich.colsman@europarl.europa.euJaneta DUFFY
Assistant
janeta.duffy@europarl.europa.euCristina MUDU
Assistant
cristina.mudu@europarl.europa.euBettina STURM
Assistant
bettina.sturm@europarl.europa.eu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
External Policies
Ciril ŠTOKELJ
Team Leader
ciril.stokelj@europarl.europa.euAna FERNÁNDEZ PERLES
Advisor
ana.fernandez@europarl.europa.euAlexandre STUTZMANN
Advisor
alexandre.stutzmann@europarl.europa.euRosa-Maria LICOP CABO
Assistant
rosa-maria.licop@europarl.europa.euMalin LUNDBERG
Assistant
malin.lundberg@europarl.europa.eu--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press
Katrin RUHRMANN
Spokesperson
katrin.ruhrmann@europarl.europa.euRobert GOLAŃSKI
Advisor
robert.golanski@europarl.europa.euJesús GÓMEZ
Advisor
jesus.gomez@europarl.europa.euFearghas O’BEARA
Advisor
fearghas.obeara@europarl.europa.euDaniela BÜHRIG
Assistant
daniela.buehrig@europarl.europa.euSławomir ROGOWSKI
Assistant
slawomir.rogowski@europarl.europa.euJörg-Dietrich NACKMAYR
Advisor
joerg.nackmayr@europarl.europa.eu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Organisation
Sjef COOLEGEM
Team Leader
sjef.coolegem@europarl.europa.euClara GONIN
Assistant
clara.gonin@europarl.europa.euWalter DOLL
Usher
walter.doll@europarl.europa.euDavid SINNOTT
Usher
david.sinnott@europarl.europa.euAgnieszka STALEWSKA
Usher
agnieszka.stalewska@europarl.europa.euPeter JAGER
Driver
peter.jager@europarl.europa.euNicolas CAPPAI
Usher
nicolas.cappai@europarl.europa.euEnzo ENGLARO
Usher
enzo.englaro@europarl.europa.euMarinus van GREUNINGEN
Driver
marinus.vangreuningen@europarl.europa.eu--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private Office of the President
Marie-Jeanne SMEETS
Assistant to the President
marie-jeanne.smeets@europarl.europa.euJohann Friedrich COLSMAN
Advisor
johannfriedrich.colsman@europarl.europa.euLilian PHILLIPS
Protocol Assistant
lilian.phillips@europarl.europa.euLaura PROIETTI
Assistant
laura.proietti@europarl.europa.euBettina STURM
Assistant
bettina.sturm@europarl.europa.euAnna HASEMANN
Parliamentary Assistant of the President
anna.hasemann@europarl.europa.euNina SJÖBERG
Assistant
nina.sjoeberg@europarl.europa.eu
Go on then, count them, I make it 46. OK so it is two drivers not three, but there are seven in the press team. I wonder which eight he isn't counting?
Interesting as well that there is no challenge to the costs. Methinks that is because the estimate is low, very low.
7 comments:
More and better jobs!
Some of the names are repeated though
Anon, I apologise, you ae of course right. Three of the names are double counted. But by my maths that still makes a few more than the 38 claimed
Written comprehension problems again I see.
Some of the people in the cabinet are formally employed in the EPP-ED Group secretariat, seconded to the cabinet. Can this be it?
Anon,
I am now told that one or two are unpaid interns (a practice that I thouroughly disapprove of,), and maybe you have a point, but still, despite my failure to note the double counting that doesn't add up. They are part of his team, whether they are on secondment or not. The taxpayer is still paying for them, and they are working for him.
And there are also his parliamentary assistants paid from the MEP assistant money treasure...
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