But in total, how much does this double pension amount to? And does it exceed the famous Wijninckx ceiling, which limits the income received by retirees to 8,129.08 euros gross per month, at most? To clarify this, our colleagues from Sudinfo called on Herman Matthijs, professor of public finance at the University of Ghent. “At the Belgian level, given his former position at the head of the SNCB and his long career as a deputy and minister, his pension is undoubtedly limited to the Wijninckx ceiling“, affirmed this expert. But he immediately clarified that this ceiling “does not intervene for his international career“. This means that the two pensions combined may exceed the limit normally imposed.
The President of the European Commission learned from the press that Didier Reynders was the target of an investigation for money laundering
Two pensions for a total of 12,000 euros
For his international career, Didier Reynders is entitled to around 4,500 euros of retirement per month. This amounts to 18% of his salary as European Commissioner, a percentage which he owes to his seniority, having spent five years in this position. If we add the two pensions received by Didier Reynders, we obtain an assumed gross amount of 12,629.08 euros per month (€8,129.08 + €4,500).
Other Belgian politicians also receive or will receive a double pension for having held international positions. This is particularly the case of Guy Verhofstadt or Charles Michel, for example.
Didier Reynders accused of money laundering: several pots on the fire but never any burns
