The Bureau’s latest investigation reveals that the European Commission has spent millions of taxpayers’ money on private jet travel, luxury resorts, parties and expensive presents. Our investigation shows that Commissioners were travelling by private jet and handing out gifts of Tiffany jewellery to guests as Europeans faced budget cuts and IMF bailouts.
The figures
Research by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal:
- Over €7.5m was spent on private jet travel for Commissioners between 2006-2010.
- President Barroso and eight assistants ran up a bill of €28,000 for a four night stay at the New York Peninsula Hotel, where the delegation stayed in suites costing on average €780 per night.
- The Commission spent over €20,000 between 2008-2010 on gifts, with guest speakers being presented with gifts from the jewelers Tiffany.
- Over €300,000 was spent on events the EU described as “cocktail parties” in 2009. One bill totalled €75,000 for an event subsidised by the EU’s Research Executive Agency in Amsterdam, boasting a “night filled with wonder like no other…state-of-the-art technology, challenging art, combined with trendy cocktails, surprising performances and top DJs”.
The Bureau’s study comes as the Commission has called for a budget increase of 4.9% for the EU budget as a whole, whilst European nations are grappling with record national debts, embarking on extensive privatisation programmes and appealing for IMF bailouts worth hundreds of billions of euros.
In 2009 the Commission held away-days for officials and their families at beach resorts in Papua New Guinea and Ghana. On one occasion a Vietnamese delegation flew 44 staff to the five-star Palm Garden Resort for an event to “facilitate internal co-operation”.
Martin Ehrehauser, Independent Austrian MEP, said: “It is extremely disappointing to see how easily the Commission spends the EU taxpayers’ money – millions of euros – on private jet travel and luxury hotels. This makes the gap between citizens and the EU bureaucracy even bigger and deeper.”
Iain Overton, editor of the Bureau, said: “Our findings raise questions not just about taxpayers’ money being wasted, but also about how accountable the EU Commission is for its spending.”
The EU Commission is made up of 27 Commissioners, one from each of the member states, and about 25,000 European civil servants. It acts as the EU’s cabinet and some of its main purposes are to implement legislation for Europe and the day to day running of the Union and its funding programs. The Commission sits in Brussels, and is entirely funded by the EU taxpayer.
The Commission’s rules on spendings can be seen here.
Get the press release in your language:
Commissioners’ expenses press release (English version)
Commissioners’ expenses press release (French version)
Commissioners’ expenses press release (German version)
Commissioners’ expenses press release (Spanish version)
Commissioners’ expenses press release (Italian version)
Commissioners’ expenses press release (Polish version)
June 2nd, 2011 at 2:33 am (#)
Congratulations.Front page Guardian online June 1.
June 2nd, 2011 at 2:54 pm (#)
Congratulations it’s good investigation story. In future it will win the awards.
The money of tax payer’s will be spend as Free money, not only in Europe but also in Asian countries. The developing and under develop countries this is vary common.
Keep it up.
June 2nd, 2011 at 11:58 pm (#)
These people think they own us because they control our gateway to reality. What do we know …. but what they tell us in so many diverse unconscionable – interestingly disparate ways. Any form of belief is a kind of blindness we must realise that we cannot take the apparent for real, trust is an acquired addiction we cannot afford. We have to examine every presumption … each and every preconceived preconception that has been spoon-fed to us as given – since the day we were born!
June 3rd, 2011 at 12:31 am (#)
The intentions may be laudable but the sensationalist approach adopted by the “investigators” and Mr. Barr has little to do with an honest and fair enquiry. For instance – the Tiffany’s bill: the response from the Commission makes clear that the total amount spent corresponds approximately to 75 EUR per speaker in a conference bringing together 24 high caliber personalities. Is such amount so shocking? How much does Mr. Major or Ms. Tatcher charge for their appearance in a conference?
About the bill at the Peninsula Hostel in New York – the Commission response talks of 36 stays (not 8 x 4 nights=32 as mentioned in your article) and says that it also covers additional meeting facilities. Did the “investigators” checked hotel costs paid by other delegations? Maybe you feel that it would have been more appropriate for the EC delegation to stay in a budget hotel in the outskirts of NY and take the underground to attend the UN assembly meetings.
The way the information is being presented to the public shows that you are deliberately misrepresenting facts. Accuracy and objectivity seem to be the first victims of your “investigation”.
(Editor’s note: The facts that we were given were reported as such- hard fact. The justification as to whether EU officials should be staying in the Peninsula Hotel is a matter for public debate and scrutiny. Following the logic of the argument above, there would be little to no accountability for spending. There was no misrepresentation of facts – we presented them in the same way that the EU press office gave them to us. There was no inaccuracy in our reporting – we have simply republished what press officers have told us).
June 4th, 2011 at 11:29 am (#)
You are missing the point. People from the commission have to travel to the 27 EU-countries frequently. That is their job. They can hardly use Ryanair or Eaysyjet. A privatejet costs roughly 3000 pounds per hour of flight to transport a company of 9 people. If these 9 people would fly business class with BA or Air France/KLM etc… they would pay even more for that group. Please publish the right facts and abstain from populist sensational rubbish.
(Editor’s comments: we have published the ‘right facts’ The lack of transparency on the part of the EU Commission is that they do not publish where the flights go to and whether there was an alternative. This is not “populist” or “sensational” – it is hard facts that need scrutiny if the EU is to maintain its credibility in times of economic restraint).
June 6th, 2011 at 1:05 pm (#)
€20000 on gifts in three years? That’s not actually a lot of Tiffany’s jewellery.
(Editor’s comments: It might not be alot of jewellery. But the question is – should this be something tax payer’s money should be spent on? This money could have been spent on hiring a nurse, or a teacher etc.)
June 10th, 2011 at 7:57 am (#)
You claim to publish the ‘right’ facts, but there are clear errors in your text which question the credibility of all of your journalists. There is no EU Research Executive Agency in Amsterdam. Executive Agencies are only located in Brussels and Amsterdam. Were you reporting on something else, non-EU related?
June 10th, 2011 at 11:12 am (#)
(Reporter’s reply) Mr. Penny, in answer to your question the text states: “One bill totalled €75,000 for an event subsidised by the EU’s Research Executive Agency in Amsterdam”. This means the event was hosted in Amsterdam and funded by a grant from the REA. If you want to find more information about the event, please go to the data page and check the first entry.
June 10th, 2011 at 9:46 pm (#)
Dear reporter
I am a little astonished that given your amazing investigator skills you did not actually had a look at a more accurate information of the event
————
Project description
Discovery 09 is the fourth “party night with food for thought” in Amsterdam organized by the Very Disco Foundation. On 25 September 2009 from 22:00pm-04:00am, the well-known Science Center NEMO will be filled with 1500-2000 young people who enjoy fascinating science, new music, the latest technologies, stimulating art and bright ideas. This is specifically brought to them by members of their own generation in a fresh trendsetting party atmosphere. The general aim of Discovery is to repeatedly show young, passionate and enthusiastic scientist to the public.
This display of scientists, especially in a festival and night-time context that the general audience can relate to, helps to create a new and more positive image of the scientist in general, and of young scientists in particular. Discovery 09 will show young scientists to the public. Not only to the visitors of the Researchers’ Night itself but, more importantly, to a broad audience through national media attention and awareness campaigns. While around 1500-2000 people will be present at the Researcher’s Night itself, a multiple of that number will see, hear or read about young scientists organizing a trendy and unique party night. The festivities during the night itself will be a mix combining cutting edge science, public performances by both young and well-known scientists speaking about their passions, an artistic program, and nightlife activities with popular DJ s, bands, VJ s and multiple stages.
————-
It looks more than a simple cocktail party to me.
Now that you know what this was about I am convinced that you correct you analysis.
June 13th, 2011 at 11:02 am (#)
(Reporter’s reply) Dear reader, we took every aspect of the event into consideration. The links to the source information from the investigation show the EU Commission billed the event as: “A night filled with wonder like no other Young scientists, new science, state-of-the-art technology, challenging art, combined with trendy cocktails, surprising performances and top DJs”.
The event has also been publicised by the British Council as: “…a long night with live music, live scientific research, DJ’s, VJ’s, cocktails, films, performances, experiments, visuals, games and more. Discovery 2009 shows that science can exist alongside culture and music beats.”
.
June 15th, 2011 at 8:44 pm (#)
Dear Sir,
If you would like to email me directly with your concerns, then I am happy to address them.
iainoverton@tbij.com
Iain Overton
Editor