Klaus Iohannis’ trip in March cost €2 million

The cost of President Klaus Iohannis’ foreign trips is 10.385 million lei, which is 2.1 million euros, according to the budget published by the presidential administration, writes. Free Europe.

How much will Iohannis’ foreign trips cost?

The amount paid for foreign travel in March is more than one-third of the total budget allocated for 2023.

The presidential administration paid 12.2 million lei, equivalent to about 2.5 million euros, for official visits by the head of state from the beginning of 2023.

Costs are higher than in 2016-2021.

This year, 27 million lei were earmarked for Klaus Iohannis’ travels, writes Europa Libere.

Amounts spent by the Presidential Administration on Foreign Travel (2016 – 2021)

2021 – 7,899,252.55 lei (1.5 million euros)

2020 – 3,103,378.16 lei (620 thousand euros)

2019 – 10,839,246.03 lei (2.1 million euros)

2018 – 6,319,429.25 lei (1.2 million euros)

2017 – 6,347,806.78 lei (1.2 million euros)

2016 – 6,111,395.77 lei (1.2 million euros)

How many foreign countries did Iohannis visit in March?

In March, President Klaus Iohannis made four foreign visits:

• An Asian tour, March 6-10, in Japan and Singapore;
• Traveled to Sofia on March 15;
• 4 days in Dubai and UAE;
• 2 days in Brussels.

Klaus Iohannis is on tour in Latin America until April 26. His journey takes place in a plane leased from a company in Luxembourg.

On Wednesday, the President of Romania continues his two-day official visit to the Federal Republic of Brazil, he will have meetings with local authorities in Rio de Janeiro, writes Agerpres.

According to the official agenda, the head of state will meet with the vice governor of the province of Rio de Janeiro, Diego Pambola Goncalves, and the vice mayor of the city, Nilton Caldera.

Also, Klaus Iohannis will lay a wreath at the National Memorial to the Fallen Heroes of World War II.

We remind you of the Presidential Administration’s explanation of President Klaus Iohannis’ recent private jet trip to Japan and how such a decision was reached. “The absence of an aircraft dedicated to the aviation of high-level dignitaries causes operational problems, economic inefficiencies and, above all, damage to the image of external aviation,” the company says.

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Travel expenses, confidential

The main objective of the visit is to assess the state of bilateral relations between the two countries and to jointly identify areas where both states have opportunities to increase trade and attract new investments,” the presidential administration said.

Asked on Thursday in the context of public talk about salary cuts and the hole in the budget, President Klaus Iohannis said the presidential administration would comply with the budget rules approved by the budget law.

• “I am totally against any Alantala cuts.
• I, personally, for a long time have seen all kinds of stupidity in administration, in politics, pay cuts, cuts in running costs, everything bad.
• I want this, I have communicated this to the people in the alliance, I want a fair, well-planned plan. That is, we cut where nothing can be cut without difficulty.
• So don’t expect me to approve or welcome cuts written like this from a ministerial office. This is how it should be done, and we are not in a position to make drastic cuts, certainly not in a position to make cuts from the Romanians’ money,” declared Iohannis.

Asked by reporters why the presidential administration’s expenses are not public, Iohannis replied: “Because it’s the law.”

In European and foreign countries, government payments for high-level travel are public data. In Romania, however, taxpayers have no right to know how much, for example, flights made by the head of state cost. Politicians created a legal framework through many government decisions and kept public information confidential.