In the wake of Minister Franz Fayot's expenses controversy, online magazine Reporter.lu turned its attention to the spending habits of Xavier Bettel, finding that the PM has relatively few excessive expenses to his name.
While Bettel holds the distinction of being the only government member with a state credit card, a privilege also enjoyed by his predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, his expenses reflect both the advantages and limitations of his position, as noted by Reporter.lu.
In the case of other ministers, the magazine suggests that transparency leaves a lot to be desired.
The Prime Minister's expenses
Unlike Minister of the Economy Fayot, whose expenses included numerous working lunches with alcohol, such instances are the exception for the Prime Minister. Due to his position, Bettel is also invited more often when travelling abroad, meaning that his personal expenses are comparatively lower.
However, other costs are incurred during his trips. Accompanied by a minimum of two police officers, the Prime Minister sometimes receives VIP services, allowing him to wait in designated areas at airports. Bettel primarily travels on commercial flights.
Regarding hotel accommodations, the Prime Minister is described by Reporter.lu as being relatively "down-to-earth," typically booking the same category of rooms as other delegation members. An exception was made in Japan, but the reservation in that case was arranged by the Luxembourg Embassy in Japan.
However, one indulgence the Prime Minister allows himself is a personal photographer, who reportedly accompanied him on ten out of thirteen trips, according to Reporter.lu.
When the Prime Minister's husband joins him on official visits, precautions are taken to ensure clear separation between personal and professional matters.
A mistake was made during a trip to Rwanda when a $64 massage was inadvertently charged to the state credit card. The Prime Minister noticed the error a week later and reimbursed the amount to the state.
Questionable understanding of transparency
Reporter.lu acknowledges that the Prime Minister "at least displays sensitivity toward potentially problematic expenses." This contrasts with Minister Fayot, who only addressed certain questionable accounts after they were made public by the online magazine.
However, it should be noted that the Ministry of State did not fulfil the request to provide expense records for the past five years, arguing that this would constitute an excessive number of documents. Reporter.lu was only granted access to records from 13 foreign trips taken last year.
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and the Economy, led by Jean Asselborn, Yuriko Backes, and Franz Fayot, respectively, refused to release any documents.
