MPs, in addition to high salaries, spent nearly 690,000 euros more

(Patria) - In addition to salaries, which were almost doubled last autumn and now average 4,000 euros per month, the state of Croatia allocated another 686,000 euros for other needs of parliamentary representatives in seven and a half months last year, according to parliamentary data.

For representatives whose place of residence is more than 50 kilometers from Zagreb, the state covers, for example, the costs of rent and utilities in rented apartments in the capital city, the costs of using cars for official purposes, pays them daily allowances for official trips, and other expenses, such as hotel accommodation.

All representatives receive a monthly flat-rate allowance of 199 euros, and those living outside Zagreb also receive a separation allowance of 133 euros per month while Parliament is in session.

In the structure of parliamentary expenses in 2024, rent costs are in first place, amounting to 205,600 euros for seven and a half months, from May 16, when the new convocation was constituted, to December 27, which is almost a third of the total costs.

In the entire year 2023, rents accounted for about a fifth of the total costs, or 244,500 out of 1,177,500 euros.

The increase in rent costs was influenced by the fact that Parliament, facing rising rents and landlords announcing they would cancel leases for MPs at previously agreed, lower prices, doubled the rent allowances from July 1, 2024, from the then 2,500 kuna, or about 332 euros, to 650 euros per month.

During last year, Parliament paid rent to private landlords for 67 MPs, and another 27 were housed in official apartments, whose rent is three times cheaper, but there are not enough of them for the needs of the MPs. The cost of official apartments was 17,900 euros.

Parliament also covered 7,800 euros for apartment utilities; from July 1, MPs were approved 70 euros per month for this purpose, four euros more than before.

A total of 40,400 euros was paid to 82 MPs who were entitled to the separation allowance.

Mileage costs, i.e., the use of cars for official purposes, or for coming to Parliament, which were in first place in 2023, 'fell' to second place last year and amounted to 171,000 euros, compared to 409,000 euros they amounted to the year before.

In addition, Parliament covered the toll costs for MPs last year in the total amount of 30,500 euros.

Hotel costs are in third place, amounting to 102,000 euros. Slightly more than half of the MPs, 78 out of 150, used hotels.

40 of them flew by plane, and their tickets cost 80,800 euros, while almost 21,000 euros were paid to MPs for daily allowances.

The fact that public transport is not favored by MPs was confirmed last year as well, when only 19 of them used this mode of transport, two fewer than in 2023, and it cost the state a modest 2,250 euros.

The expenses of the Speaker of Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, amounted to 7,800 euros last year, and considering that they only relate to hotel, plane, and daily allowance costs, it is clear that these were official trips abroad.