EU: President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are the highest paid president and second highest paid head of government in the European Union, according to a story published by L'Express, France's leading news magazine.
L'Express based its story on information provided by the governments of 25 EU countries, and found a huge disparity between richer, more populated states and new members. German chancellor Angela Merkel earns €21,262 a month - eight times the salary of her Slovak counterpart, Mikulas Dzurinda, who receives €2,684.
With a monthly salary of €22,834, Mrs McAleese is the highest paid national leader in Europe. And at €20,558 a month, Mr Ahern is surpassed only by Dr Merkel among heads of government.
Some of the differences in salary are puzzling. For example, L'Express asks, is French prime minister Dominique de Villepin really worth 25 per cent more than his British counterpart Tony Blair? José Luis Zapatero of Spain seems poorly paid, at €7,296 a month.
Consistent with their reputation for egalitarianism and social conscience, Scandinavian leaders receive modest wages.
With a standard of living half the European average, it is not surprising that new member states pay their leaders poorly.
Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the president of Latvia, has said she "would have to wear the same dress all the time" if she relied on her presidential salary of €3,405 a month. Mrs Vike-Freiberga also receives a pension from the Canadian ministry of education, which employed her during the Soviet period.
Official salaries can be misleading - the detail is in the perks. The Taoiseach and his Luxembourg counterpart Jean-Claude Juncker don't receive housing and If the prime minister of Finland wants to inhabit his official residence, he is required to pay rent.
French president Jacques Chirac's monthly salary of €6,714 appears to place him at the lower end of the scale. But as L'Express notes: "For 40 years, Jacques Chirac has been lodged, fed, laundered and transported by ministries, Paris City Hall and the Élysée, which pays all expenses linked to his job."
There is no distinction between personal and professional expenses in the Élysée's budget of €32.5 million this year.Compared to the Quirinale, which costs Italian taxpayers €217 million annually, the French presidency is a bargain.
When he retires next year, Mr Chirac will receive €18,892 a month in pensions from the national assembly, Paris, the Corrèze region, the cour des comptes, and the presidency.