The Romanian Senate has spent almost all of its budget for external visits for 2018, although there are still two months left until the end of this year, local Mediafax reported.

The Senate allotted little over RON 2 million (EUR 444,000) this year to pay for the senators visits abroad, double the amounts spent in previous years.

The budgets for daily allowances and material expenses are also almost depleted. The Senate’s Permanent Bureau discussed the situation in its recent meeting.

“We are in a situation of financial crisis, right?” Senate president Calin Popecu-Tariceanu said in the meeting, according to the official minutes.

The Senate’s leaders thus decided to cut the number of external visits and only go to the ones that are essential, such as those necessary for preparing Romania’s presidency of the EU Council next year.

editor@romania-insider.com