European Parliament cancels presence at summit citing high hotel prices

05/09/2012 - 12h43

The European Parliament decided to cancel travel plans for the Members of the European Parliament that were going to participate in Rio+20, due to high travel expenses.

The decision was made by the coordinators of the European Environment Commission, who explained that the cost of sending deputies to Brazil would be too high, and unjustifiable in a time of crisis.

On Twitter, the Dutch MEP Gerben Jen Gerbrandy criticized the "abusive" prices set by the hotel industry in Rio. "The European Parliament is cancelling its delegation to Rio+20 because of the excessive cost. Brazil should control the prices in order to keep the conference from being a failure," said Gerbrandy.

The Member of the European Parliament said he was "disappointed" with the abuses in the Rio hotel system, with prices of approximately 600 euros a night. He said that the Brazilian government should intervene in the situation, especially considering other important upcoming events, such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

In a debate that took place in the European Environment Commission on April 26, German MEP Matthias Groote explained that the estimated price of lodging for the delegation would be 10,000 euros more expensive than the expected 100,000 euros per person.

In that discussion, the coordinators decided to send just one deputy to the conference, but yesterday they canceled the whole mission. Eleven Members of the European Parliament were originally planning on attending Rio+20.

The organization also did not offer the European deputies a meeting room, according to the German socialist MEP. "It's too bad that the organizers --although they're not the only ones-- brought us to this point. When you want to invite the whole world, you have to treat your guests better," he said.

Itamaraty, the Brazilian foreign ministry, has not confirmed the European Parliament's cancelation. However, the ministry's spokesperson did affirm that the absence of Members of the European Parliament would not affect the arrival of the European Union delegations or the arrival of European heads of state.

Translated by ANNA EDGERTON