Catalan MEPs call on EU chamber to reallocate funds to fight covid-19
Letter to parliament speaker calls for reassignment of expenses and savings to buy medical supplies and equipment
MEPs from Catalonia's two main pro-independence parties have called on the European Parliament to reallocate certain funds "to fight against covid-19."
In a letter to speaker David Sassoli, four MEPs from the ERC and JxCat parties argue that given the current lack of activity in the EU chamber, the funds should be reallocated.
Diana Riba, Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comín, and Clara Ponsatí suggest using half of the 4,563-euro allowance MEPs get for expenses to buy medical supplies and equipment.
In the letter, they claim that over a period of three months such a move would generate nine million euros if the money from all the MEPs in the chamber was reassigned.
The MEPs also say that with the EU chamber currently not working at full capacity, the funds allocated for conferences, exhibitions, and workshops should also be reallocated.
They also "strongly encourage" Sassoli to call an audit of the savings being made by the parliament and to reallocate the funds to "our very stressed health systems and citizens."