While ordinary European citizens are constantly urged to tighten the belt more and more due to the economic crisis, European Union officials have spent 103mln Euros on personal expenses in 2013, according to Daily Telegraph. 13,000 EU employees have been issued with special cards to pay for accommodation and entertainment while they are serving in Brussels or travelling for EU business.

The revelation comes from a tender document issued, as the institutions plan to reach a new 6-year contract with a credit-card supplier. The disclosure of the tender document offers a very interesting insight into the EU benefits regime. EU staff away from home are entitled to around 100 Euros for their daily expenses, while according to Telegraph they can also claim ‘entertainment expenses’ during the course of their ‘duties’.

The cards are issued to help EU staff claim expenses but they are linked to personal bank accounts. 362 official in Germany spent 2.1mln Euros, 79 officials spent 400,000 Euros, while most officials were based in Belgium. EU sources say it was impossible to track how much of the 103mln Euros spent on cards was actually claimed as expenses, making it extremely difficult calculate the overall financial burden on the EU taxpayers.

The Telegraph reports that EU officials declined to release a full reports on regulations related to expense claims, saying it would ‘compromise’ the tender process. ‘Open Europe’ think tank said the EU should open its books. The average salary of an EU official is estimated at 110,000 Euros.