Albanian MPs spend twice as much as 2014 on foreign trips, costing Albanian taxpayers €472 thousand in 2016

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – Albanian taxpayers have paid €472,000 Euros last year to finance foreign trips of its members of parliament, double the amount paid in 2014 – says the Parliament of Albania.

According to a financial report of the Albanian Parliament made public by daily shqiptarja.com, 2016 was a busy year for diplomatic trips of its deputies where 288 MPs and 130 staff members have traveled across the world on taxpayers money.

While the amount is lower than what Albania’s Government ministers spend on foreign trips, it represents a double increase from 2014 and triple of the amount spent in 2012.

The Parliament’s General Secretary Albana Shtylla has said that during 2017, the amount to be spent on foreign trips is to be reduced to a total of €420,000 Euros.

“Spenditure on trips abroad (tickets, hotelss, personal allowances) are foreseen at €420,000 while spenditure for receptions and other protocol activities are foreseen at €12,000” – says Shtylla in her report.

The Parliament also confirmed that its services have saved a further €13,000 Euros from MPs who have not fulfilled the official paperwork, providing insufficient hotel bills.

Parliamentary Foreign Trips Expenditure in the last years

2012 – €155,000 Euros
2013 – €185,000 Euros
2014 – €236,000 Euros
2015 – €332,000 Euros
2016 – €472,000 Euros

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe with an upper middle income population. Its GDP per capita is projected at $13,368 for 2017.