Proto Thema’s data shows that fom January 1, 2014, through to July 22, 2014, there were 126 parliamentary trips to 50 destinations around the world taken by 73 deputies from all parties. The champion traveler of Greek Parliament was liberal New Democracy MP Dora Bakoyannis who participated in 10 missions within seven months touring to Strassbourg (three times), Brussels, Istanbul, Stockholm, Rome, Paris, Belarus and London. Coming in second – from last year’s first place – in travelling ventures was socialist PASOK deputy Kostas Triandafyllos who participated in nine missions to Strassbourg (three times), Warsaw, Belgrade, Bucharest, Belarus, Helsinki and Rome.

It should be noted that all costs are covered by the Greek state during Greek officials trips abroad. They also receive daily compensation for this travel worth 170 euros per day for Parliamentary vice presidents and 110 euros for deputies. Furthermore, the missions also require entire teams of delegations to be transported, including assistants, secretaries and the like, who also receive daily compensation worth 60-70 euros.

The total cost of a mission averages from around 2,000 to 3,000 euros. Last April, the Greek 13-membered delegatioon to the Council of Europe went to Strassbourg for six days and their trip amounted to 31,711 euros (tickets, accomodation, compensation), whereas the 10-membered delegation to the three-day NATO summit at Vilnius Lithuania cost 24,300 euros. Οn the other end of the spectrum, Coalition of the Left SYRIZA deputy Christos Karayiannidis only spent 2,600 euros when he traveled with his delegation to NATO’s conference in Morocco that ran for five days.

The aforementioned costs have actually shrunk from travel budgets prior to the economic crisis thanks to measures taken by Parliamentary Speaker Vangelis Meimarakis. In 2012 he banned business class travel for European trips and the same cutback was enforced for international travel in 2013.

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