2024-08-03 03:55:48
The budget of the Elysee Palace, the long-standing residence of French presidents, was hampered last year by high expenses for a luxurious dinner with the British King Charles III. and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Because of this, the French Court of Auditors drew attention to the palace’s significant representation expenses for last year and urged it to be careful. Politico drew attention to it.
The annual audit showed that the budget deficit of the Elysee Palace rose to a record 8.3 million euros (about 210 million crowns) last year. The expenses, which reached a total of 125 million euros (over three billion crowns), include the president’s diplomatic and other duties for the execution of the mandate, administrative tasks, management of real estate owned by the office, and personnel and security costs.
Politico pointed out that dinners for foreign statesmen were among the main causes of the record deficit. The reception from last September in honor of King Charles III was the most expensive. The amount rose to 475 thousand euros (about 12 million crowns). In the background was a luxurious banquet with Modi, which cost the Elysee Palace 400 thousand euros, i.e. 10 million crowns.
At the banquet with Charles III. in Versailles, where 160 guests including Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger or British actor Hugh Grant were invited, blue lobster and pink macaroons were served, for example. Wine and other drinks cost 40,000 euros (more than a million crowns). Statesmen could taste, for example, the 2004 Château Mouton Rothschild, Politico reported. The Guardian newspaper added that the guests also enjoyed French mushrooms au gratin, pink sorbet or raspberry compote.
The dinner for the Prime Minister of India was held on July 14, Bastille Day, at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Macron ended it with a tour of the museum for Modi. It was the first banquet held on the premises of the Louvre since 1953.
Due to the renovation of the kitchen in the Elysee Palace, the presidential office turned to an external food supplier for the banquet in both Versailles and the Louvre. However, according to the report of the Court of Auditors, they usually try to avoid this, especially when organizing cocktail parties, which the Court of Auditors appreciated.
The Elysee Palace said it was taking the comments into account and “will take them into account to improve its organization and internal procedures”. “France maintains close diplomatic relations with many countries that organize similar events when the head of state is received,” the palace added in a statement.
Politico also reported that the court faulted the president’s office for poor foreign travel planning. Some expenses, particularly for travel and accommodation, were incurred despite the fact that the visit ultimately did not take place. For example, the planned visit to Germany in July of last year, which Macron canceled due to the unrest in France, meant the loss of almost half a million euros (12.7 million crowns). The presidential office caused a total loss of 20 million crowns through these unfulfilled trips.
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