Members of the European Parliament receive up to EUR 5,000 per month through certain budgetary lines without requiring receipts, proof, or verification

Omissions

• The exact allowance amount is EUR 4,778 per month (2024-2025 figure), not 'up to EUR 5,000' - though the claim is directionally correct as this is close to the 5,000 threshold
• The specific budgetary line is the 'General Expenditure Allowance' (GEA), which is intended to cover office running and maintenance costs
• The lack of accountability mechanism has been criticized by transparency organizations and has been the subject of EU court rulings
• The allowance amount is adjusted periodically and has increased over time from EUR 4,320 to the current EUR 4,778
• The MEP could not have known the FTM.eu article publication date (likely after 2026-04-28) but the underlying data about the allowance structure has been consistent for years

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Parliament Official WebsiteThe general expenditure allowance granted to MEPs is intended to cover inter alia expenses such as office running and office maintenance costs.
• SecondaryFollow The Money (FTM)MEPs receive a monthly allowance of 4778 euros for office expenditure. There is hardly any supervision on how MEPs spend their general expenditure allowance; they do not have to keep receipts, and Parliament's civil service does not check what the money is spent on.
• SecondaryTransparency International EUJust under €40 million a year is spent on MEPs' offices expenses. This money, known as the General Expenditure Allowance (GEA), goes, by default, directly into MEPs' personal bank accounts each month, meaning that no one can check how it is spent.
• SecondaryPoliticoThe verdict will allow Parliament to continue to refuse to disclose how MEPs spend a controversial allowance of €4,416 per month — known as the General Expenditure Allowance.