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In 2023, the Bundestag’s travel fund was empty at the end of May. Now the MPs have used up the budget again before the end of the year.
Berlin – The Bundestag’s travel budget lasted two months longer than last year. However, the parliament does not seem to have learned from the experiences of last year. As in the In 2023, the Bundestag’s annual travel fund will be empty before the end of the year. According to the report of the BusinessWeek Bundestag President Bärbel Bas informed the members of the German Bundestag about this in a letter.
In 2023, Bas is said to have announced at the end of May 2023 that the travel budget for MPs had been exhausted. Then, as now, it was said that “applications for individual business trips” could therefore “in principle no longer be granted”.
Travel budget of the Bundestag in 2023
According to official information, 763,000 euros were budgeted for individual business trips by members of parliament in 2023. 2.8 million euros were said to have been available for delegation trips by committees and 567,000 euros for delegation trips by parliamentary groups.
Bundestag travel fund empty in June: Applications for “individual business trips no longer approved from 1 July”
This year, Bas is said to have declared that “as of July 1, 2024, applications for individual business trips can in principle no longer be approved.” According to a report by Business Insider When asked, a spokeswoman for the Bundestag explained: “In the current financial year, 763,000 euros have been set aside for individual business trips abroad by members of parliament in item 0212 – 411 17, explanatory note 1.”
The spokeswoman did not mention how much money is available for domestic business trips. “Members of Parliament would still have the opportunity to submit applications for reimbursement of travel expenses to their parliamentary groups or groups,” the spokeswoman explained, according to the report.
Travel expenses of MPs are said to have “increased massively”
The costs of business trips have “recently risen massively”, according to the BusinessWeekreport. While costs in 2022 were 3.1 million euros, they already amounted to 3.7 million euros in the first three quarters of 2023.
In April, the Presidium, the Council of Elders and the parliamentary management of the parliamentary groups decided that members of the Bundestag must now fly economy class instead of business class on flights of less than four hours. This regulation should help to reduce expenses. (pav)
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