The European Parliament's main political factions plan to boost their staff ranks in a move critics say contradicts the assembly’s commitment to reducing its budget and undercuts MEP complaints that they don't have enough work to do.

The proposal, which includes the creation of 76 new posts to "reinforce the personnel of the political groups," is included in one of several amendments tabled this month by the center-right European People's Party and center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats to an upcoming report on Parliament spending for 2017. The measures are expected to be voted on in the budget committee next week, before being considered by the full assembly in October.

With the support of both of those political groups, which together make up a majority of the Parliament, the staff increase is likely to pass easily. The new jobs would be spread proportionately among all the Parliament's political groups. The positions are hired at the discretion of each political group but the salaries are paid by EU taxpayers.

Welle 'not happy'

The move is seen as a direct rebuke of the Parliament's top bureaucrat, Secretary-General Klaus Welle, who has tried to shift power away from the assembly's political groups and toward its nonpartisan administration and committee staff.

“Political groups were not happy at all because Welle took power away from them,” said one Parliament official. “That’s why they are reacting now.”

“Giving more money to political groups goes against my political DNA" — Indrek Tarand, Estonian MEP

Welle, who has been on a crusade to make the legislature more like the U.S. Congress by beefing up its professional staff, is “not happy about it at all,” the official said, because “he won’t be able to create any new post himself.”

Welle did not respond to requests Tuesday for comment about the proposal.

The main political groups defended the plan.

“We are in favor, although it seems controversial, to create 76 more posts [for political groups], because the Parliament is not only an administration, it is first and foremost a political organization,” said Jean-Paul Denanot, a French MEP in charge of the budget issue for the Socialist bloc.

Other groups took aim at the proposal, saying it would send the wrong message at a time when the EU is calling on many countries to show fiscal austerity.

“It’s unfair in times of financial crises,” said Indrek Tarand, an Estonian MEP in the Greens group who is authoring the Parliament's spending report but said he would vote against the staff amendment. “Giving more money to political groups goes against my political DNA. I would prefer having young civil servants who passed an EU exam to become experts rather than politically appointed people who are loyal to the political bigwigs.”

'Not serious'

The Parliament's eight political groups have their own staff, which include assistants, secretaries and senior political advisers to work with MEPs and their personal aides on key policy areas. According to internal figures seen by POLITICO, political groups have more employees than MEPs. For example, the EPP group has 215 MEPs, 293 staffers and 53 temporary jobs, while the Socialists and Democrats group has 189 MEPs, 253 employees and 60 temporary staffers.

The amendment empowering groups to hire 76 more staffers has been controversial for many Parliament officials and MEPs involved in the 2017 budget. The push to beef up political staff comes as other EU institutions have made efforts to reduce spending and cut their staff in the wake of the financial crisis.

In addition, the move to hire more staff is seemingly at odds with complaints from MEPs that they are being sidelined in EU decision making and short of work as the European Commission makes fewer legislative proposals in an era of "Better Regulation."

“Honestly, we do not look serious here,” said another parliamentary staffer familiar with the budget talks.

The Parliament has come under fire in recent months over other internal spending proposals, including hiring an in-house limousine service for MEPs — justified by the assembly's leaders as a security measure — and staff for the Parliament's fitness center.

In 2013, the European Parliament was required to trim 5 percent of its staff over five years. But it fell far behind other EU institutions in meeting its staff-cutting targets.

The EPP and S&D groups have introduced other amendments calling for the reduction of 60 posts in the Parliament's administration, as well as 20 other positions that would be shifted from the Parliament to other EU bodies such as the Committee of the Regions. The amendments also include the hiring of 35 more people to “enhance security in the institutions.”

In 2013, the European Parliament was required to trim 5 percent of its staff over five years. But it fell far behind other EU institutions in meeting its staff-cutting targets. In a 2015 agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council, the assembly said it was “committed to continue the reduction of the total number of posts in its establishment plan and to complete it by 2019.”

According to the agreement, the Parliament needs to cut 179 staffers by 2019, which includes a target of 60 fewer jobs in 2017.

Parliament officials said they did not see why political groups should hire so many more new people as there are already as many as 100 vacant posts, which they are filling with contractual agents. “These jobs don’t require any exam, and groups offer temporary contracts,” a Parliament official said.

Welle has created new bodies aimed at providing nonpartisan resources for parliamentarians. He helped set up the European Parliamentary Research Service, an in-house think tank that functions like the U.S. Congressional Research Service.