Congress spent $6.8 million on domestic and international travel in 2022

The cost of traveling by deputies throughout the national territory increased by 14%

MADRID, 5 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Congress spent 6,883,697.15 euros to cover travel for deputies both outside and within Spain in 2022, 18% less than in the previous year, which was special because it meant a return to normality once most of the of the restrictions due to the pandemic and because it included the expenses of hosting the assembly of the Parliamentary Union.

Specifically, in 2021 total travel spending had reached 8.1 million, compared to 2.8 million in 2020, when the coronavirus crisis broke out, international movements were suspended and the capacity in plenary sessions was reduced.

In 2021, the presence of deputies in Congress was normalized, although the telematic vote was in force until the end of the year, but, in addition, Madrid hosted the 143rd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIP) to which thousands of parliamentarians attended for whose displacements the Chamber paid 3.78 million.

In 2022, international activity fully recovered. According to the data of the Congress, collected by Europa Press, the expenses in international activities amounted to 2,741,319.91 euros. Compared to the 45 trips abroad in 2021, last year 135 trips were made outside the country, already returning to the figures from before the pandemic.

As usual, the most expensive were those of the Spanish delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which meets four times a year in Strasbourg (France) and which is one of the largest representations of the Cortes, which also includes to senators. Only in comings and goings to these appointments, 259,452 euros were invested.

Two trips by the Spanish representatives to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly also stand out: one to attend the spring session in Vilnius (Lithuania) (67,290.09 euros) and another to the United States, specifically to San Diego and San Francisco (47,009 euros). ).

In addition, 65,410.27 euros were paid to cover the travel of the Mixed Commission (Congress-Senate) on National Security to Washington, where its members attended a parliamentary forum on intelligence and security, and another 53,592.26 euros for the Commission on Industry will participate in Chile in a business forum of both countries.

Of the total of 2.74 million consigned for 'international activity', 1.07 million were dedicated to paying for activities in the national territory but with foreign guests, displacements of members of Congress outside the Chamber for parliamentary visits within the country or videoconferences.

These global figures include only travel and accommodation expenses in the different destinations, but not the expenses of parliamentarians during their stay outside the country. Until 2017, those who participated in these trips received a daily allowance of 150 euros, but Congress replaced this amount with a system of payment of duly justified expenses.

The activities organized by the Congress to which parliamentarians from other countries were invited are also included in the economic information on the international activity of the Chamber. The most expensive event was the annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which met in Madrid in November and cost 800,496.94 euros.

Another 92,430.11 euros were allocated to cover the VIII Polish Hispanic Parliamentary Forum, which took place in Burgos in July, while 27,201.68 euros were paid for travel for the Croatian Hispanic Parliamentary Forum convened in Madrid in May.

Also included in this section on the cost of international travel, 25 activities organized by the Congress in different Spanish cities, half without expenses and others that did imply a disbursement. Among those that generated cost is, for example, a trip to Barcelona to attend the Mobile World Congress of the Committee on Economic Affairs (648.15 euros).

The turnover of trips by national territory amounted to 4,142,377.24 million euros in 2022, compared to 3,563,941.25 euros the previous year. In other words, travel spending within Spain has increased by more than half a million euros, 13.96% more than in 2021.

Of this total figure, 2.85 million euros were used to pay for trips by deputies between Madrid and their respective constituencies, known as trips for 'parliamentary activity'. To this are added the 364,266.26 euros invested in trips to attend political events --with the authorization of their respective groups-- and another 10,629.98 euros for official trips.

In total, they represent 3,230,550 euros, which is the cost that includes plane, train and bus tickets, as well as compensation for mileage in a private vehicle, but to that amount must be added the 911,827.24 euros to which the Congress has had to deal with management expenses, cancellations and ticket changes.

In the documentation on international travel expenses, the Congress has included on this occasion 60 videoconferences held in Spain. Of these, 42 did not imply any expense, but in another 17 a total of 31,382.5 euros had to be invested. The most expensive (10,500 and 10,757 euros respectively) were set up for two virtual courses of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Congress.