Documents from the European Commission showed that, as of August 11, the EU chief had travelled 59 times in his capacity as Brexit negotiator – with the expenses taken straight out of the EU budget.
The costs amounted to an astonishing €47,000 (£41,200), with an average of €800 (£702) spent per trip.
A letter by Mr Barnier’s deputy Sabine Weyand to a UK resident said: “Since the beginning of his mandate, Michel Barnier, chief negotiator, had 59 missions for which the travel expenses amounted to 47,417.60 euros.”
The letter was in response to a freedom of information request submitted by Politico on August 11.
It continued: “The missions mainly included the EU member states and also Norway and Geneva in order to prepare and discuss the negotiations with the heads of state or government, ministers, national and European parliamentarians, stakeholders, social partners and international organisations.”
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
The EU deputy negotiator’s letter stated Mr Barnier engaged in a travel-intensive charm offence long before the UK Government decided to do so.
It said: “As part of his mandate, he held a number of official meetings in Brussels, for which the representation costs amounted to 2,310 euros.”
The Commission’s disclosure of the EU negotiator’s travel and meeting expenses, in response to a citizen’s freedom of information request, is consistent with Brussels’ pledge to conduct the Brexit process in a transparent fashion.
However not all of Mr Barnier’s meetings have been published in his official calendar, and not all details are provided about every event.
Meanwhile, the EU chief negotiator has declared European taxpayers will not shoulder the “burden” of Britain’s decision to leave the bloc.
Speaking after the fourth round of Brexit talks yesterday, Mr Barnier vowed to protect the EU and its members from any financial costs brought by the UK’s exit from Brussels.
He added: “My job is to simply make sure that we find the ways and means for an orderly withdrawal.
“That is an agreement, an agreement with the United Kingdom, at the point where they leave, which is much better than leaving without an agreement, and that we do it by protecting the interests of the 27.
“And, that we make sure the European taxpayer doesn’t have to carry the burden of the decisions taken by the citizens of the United Kingdom.”
Mr Barnier praised a “new dynamic” to Brexit negotiations but said progress was still not sufficient to allow discussions on a transition period or on future trade relations.
The EU insists trade talks cannot happen until “significant progress” is made on divorce terms – in particular the issue of how much Britain owes.