Recent reporting highlights how some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) travel abroad with funding from organizations or other countries. In the latest ranking among parliamentarians who travel using external funds, Radosław Sikorski of Poland sits third, following Germany’s Reinhard Buetikofer and France’s Thierry Mariani. The list is based on trips fully or partially financed by external sources, with a focus on transparency and timely declaration of such travel.
MEPs are obligated to disclose all travel funded by outside entities. Since the Katargate corruption concerns surfaced, media coverage has revisited several trips that were not reported promptly. Notable examples include a stay in Qatar involving Belgian MEPs Marc Tarabella and Maria Arena, and a visit to Israel by Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament. These cases underscored the need for rigorous declaration practices and robust oversight of travel funding.
In response, a major Belgian outlet analyzed the statements published by 705 MEPs on the European Parliament’s official site for the current term. Journalists examined travel destinations, inviting organizations, travel dates, declaration deadlines, number of nights, modes of transport, and stated reasons for travel. The goal was to gauge how travel is funded and reported across the chamber.
From the data, certain destinations emerged as common: India and Israel each appeared in about 30 declared trips, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 16 trips, Russia with 13, and Venezuela with five. These patterns reflect a mix of diplomatic engagements, industry visits, and other official duties associated with the parliament’s international agenda.
Top Foreign Travel
Among individual leaders, Reinhard Buetikofer, a German MEP from the Greens group, logged the most hotel nights and trips, tallying 47 nights across 22 trips. In second place, Thierry Mariani of France, affiliated with Identity and Democracy, recorded 28 nights over eight journeys. In third place was Radosław Sikorski of Poland, aligned with the European People’s Party and the Polish Civic Platform, with 27 overnight stays across 14 trips during the current term.
Overall, MEPs have declared 328 trips abroad in the current legislature, with 89 having elapsed beyond the mandatory reporting window. The data illustrate how international engagement remains a constant feature of the Parliament’s work, while also highlighting ongoing efforts to improve accountability and timely disclosure of external funding for travel.
Note: The information reflects publicly published declarations and is presented with attribution to official EP records and reporting analyses from European and regional media outlets.