Bank governor Josef Bonnici.

His salary may be on the high side by Maltese standards but the Central Bank of Malta governor has the third-lowest income when compared with his counterparts in the EU.

Josef Bonnici earns an annual salary of €85,000, ahead of the Romanian and Croatian governors who grace the last two rungs of a comparative table drawn up by the European Voice, a Brussels-based newspaper.

The table shows wide disparities in salaries.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney tops the list with a salary of €572,000 followed by Belgium’s Luc Coene and his €537,000 salary.

Germany’s Jens Weidmann, who heads the central bank of the EU’s largest economy, earns €411,000 while European Central Bank president Mario Draghi earns €374,000. On the lower end, the Croatian governor earns €47,000 while Romanian Mugur Isarescu earns €78,000.

Prof. Bonnici’s annual salary is a far cry from his predecessor Michael Bonello, who earned more than €120,000, making him one of the highest paid civil servants at the time.

Figures for the comparative exercise were provided by the respective central banks.

No salaries were given for Cyprus, Bulgaria and Slovakia because the information was deemed confidential.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com

What they earn

Top three

UK, Mark Carney: €572,082

Belgium, Luc Coene: €537,156

Italy, Ignazio Visco: €495,000

Bottom three

Malta, Josef Bonnici: €85,000

Romania, Mugur Isarescu: €78,000

Croatia, Boris Vucic: €46,811

Source: European Voice