Prime Minister Emil Boc, who went to New York for four days during September to attend a United Nations meeting, was accompanied by a staff of 35 people and the cost of the trip reached EUR 470,000, according to Romanian media reports.

Hiring the Romavia plane for the trip required EUR 400,000, while accommodation in four and five star hotels downtown New York was another EUR 63,000. The daily allowance for the staff added another EUR 6,300 to the bill.

According to local media reports, the 35-person staff included all the prime minister's personal counselors and all the state counselor, the Government General Secretary and the PM's personal doctor.

This trip came soon after the prime minister had publicly announced the state institutions would cut additional expenses, among which travel and accommodation ones. During Emil Boc's trip to New York, street protests were organized in Romania against the budget salary cuts announced earlier this year.

editor@romania-insider.com