As the newly-elected Maltese MEPs start getting their act together in preparation for the new season of the European Parliament, they are having to look around them and realise they are the poorest of the poor in the hemicycle.

While many people may think, going by the stories in the British press, that MEPs just wallow in riches and enjoy a lavish lifestyle, their actual salary is pegged to that of their national Parliaments. Since the Maltese MPs are part-timers, they receive around Lm3,000 a year.

This means that the MEPs’ starting salary is based on this same figure.

However MEPs can boost their take-home pay with a variety of stratagems which are not available to the Maltese Parliament's MPs.

They can also take lessons from those who have been there before and have found well-tried ways to stretch the money.

Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan, for instance, has revealed in an article that British MEPs can make up to £800 a week by taking low-cost flights to Brussels or Strasbourg while getting paid for a first class full fare ticket. Although there are no low fare airlines flying between Malta and Brussels, the Maltese MEPs get an added subvention since Malta is one of the farthest away from Brussels.

Mr Hannan has also revealed that MEPs can claim another £1,000 a week for accommodation expenses and then sleep in the office.

Another ruse is employing members of the family on the office payroll.

This, however, has led to some nasty jokes being traded around in Brussels as fellow MEPs ask the British: "What is it about you English? You employ your wives and sleep with your staff."

So far, Maltese MEPs have not employed family members. Some have not made any appointments yet and those which are known to have been made fall outside this category. Sharon Ellul Bonici is known to be helping John Attard Montalto and Stefano Mallia is said to be in the process of being appointed chef du cabinet to Simon Busuttil.

In the end, sources close to some MEPs said their basic wage is far too low to enable them to really function. If they have to spend their time creating ruses to make ends meet, or skimp on travelling for fear of costs, they will soon become irrelevant, considering that most of the work of MEPs gets done by networking and by travelling and meeting people.

One opportunity that MEPs have is to invite groups of constituents over to Brussels to enable them to see their MEPs at work. Anyone visiting the European Parliament when in session will often see groups of visitors accompanied by their MEPs. This seems to be one of the immediate tasks of the Maltese MEPs and preparations are already being made to enable them take up different groups of constituents in the coming months.