Guy Verhofstadt is a busy man. As well as his day job in the European parliament, Verhofstadt has the task of trying to thrash out a deal in his role as its chief Brexit negotiator. But that daunting task – and his dedication to the EU – isn’t stopping the Belgian politician from earning a small fortune for his side jobs away from his taxpayer-funded role. In fact, in a tally of all 748 MEPs, Verhofstadt comes second for his outside earnings – which tally up to at least £175,000 a year.
As an MEP, Verhofstadt already pockets £93,000 a year. But the bulk of his income actually comes from his commitments away from the European parliament. Verhofstadt earns £11,000 a month as a director of investment company Sofina. And as CEO of the boringly-named – but nonetheless well-paying – European Institute of Public Administration, Verhofstadt rakes in another £900 a month.
Of course, those earnings don’t include his speaking fees – which are no doubt being helped by his role at the heart of Brussels’ Brexit negotiations. Verhofstadt is on the roster of a number of top agencies, including Celebrity Speakers Ltd and London Speakers. For these commitments, Verhofstadt pockets another £2,800 a month. All in all, Verhofstadt’s monthly earnings away from parliament tally up to a total of £14,600 a month.
Whatever happens with Brexit, Mr S thinks Verhofstadt is unlikely to end up too badly off…
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