Anger as EU bigwigs rack up £500,000 bill on THREE-DAY jaunt to Uruguay
BRUSSELS fat cats have come under fire after it emerged they enjoyed a three-day jaunt costing more than half a MILLION euros.
MEPs have been under fire for their trip to Uruguay
Around 100 European Parliament bosses enjoyed a champagne reception and a grilled fish dinner at a swanky hotel in Uruguay, with an eyewatering budget of €517,140 (£460,120).
The junket saw around 40 MEPs attend the ‘Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly’, which was meant to focus on “restructuring sovereign debt”, tackle “inequality through social cohesion policies” and support a peace process in Colombia.
But critics slammed the trip as “pure tourism”.
The three-day jaunt racked up a staggering bill
We honestly don’t need to send 97 people out there in Uruguay
German MEP, Jan-Phillip Albrecht, told US politics news site, Politico: “These delegation trips are useful for partnerships and international agreements on behalf of the EU.
“But we need to ask if really we need that many members to go.
“There are large delegations with more than 10 members, plus interpreters and people from political groups.
“You could save quite a lot of money there. Sometimes it’s not necessary and could really be improved.”
A staggering €66million (£58million) was dished out on travel, hotels, meals and allowances for MEPs in 2014, according to data obtained by the politics website.
The EU Parliament officials visited Uruguay
One source added: “We honestly don’t need to send 97 people out there in Uruguay.”
Fresh anger was heaped on the failing European Union earlier this week when it emerged highly paid MEPs will be allowed to keep their second jobs.