BRUSSELS: Some 13,000 EU officials spent an average of $6,600 each on accommodation and food during business trips in 2013, The Telegraph reported, citing a report.
According to the officials’ credit card data, revealed Sunday, the biggest spenders were from Belgium, followed by Germany and France.
The credit card funds also include an “entertainment allowance.” The declared figures do not include train or air travel costs, the newspaper said.
According to the EU allowance regime, lawmakers are entitled to claim up to $130 a day as expenses while traveling on official business.
The European Commission has refused to reveal what share of the total credit card payments was claimed as expenses, saying that such information is confidential.
According to The Telegraph, the average income of an EU official is thought to be $123,000 annually, with most subject to 16 percent income tax.
