It's official - Eurocrats can pay themselves whatever they want

The European Court of Justice has ruled that EU officials are entitled to the full 3.7% pay and pensions increase proposed by the European Commission for last year under the terms of the Staff Regulations passed by the European Commission in 1968 and gold-plated by the Commission in 2004.

In December 2009, member states in Council had agreed to cap such an increase at 1.85% to take account of the economic and financial crisis. The ECJ finds that  "the Council has no margin of discretion allowing it to decide upon a salary adjustment different to that proposed by the Commission".

And here's the kicker. The Council may try to invoke an exceptional clause (Article 10 in Annex XI of the Staff Regulations written by the Commission for itself) in the case of a sudden and serious deterioration in the economic and social situation, but "that special procedure can only be set in train by a proposal from the Commission". 

In other words the parasites have total freedom to decide how much blood they can suck, and the politicians elected to defend the interests of the hosts, who gave the parasites that power, have now discovered that they cannot take it back unless the parasites agree to it.

Which will happen right after pigs are observed flying around the Commission offices in perfect formation.