The European Commission is obviously concerned about how members look, having spent more than €2.7 million on make-up artists and photographers since 2019, according to a statement published on June 20.
The EC admission comes amid controversy over the German federal government’s spending on photographers, hairdressers and make-up artists, with reports earlier this year indicating that Germany alone forked out around €1.5 million on beautifying services in 2022 alone.
The EC has now also revealed it splashed out millions on snappers and beauty artists, with the European Union’s Budget and Administration Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, saying a total of €2,756,286 has been spent on photographers and make-up artists since the current legislative period started in late 2019.
Writing in response to a question from German ID Group MEP, Christine Anderson, Hahn insisted that the EC had incurred “no expenditure” for hairdressers, although he did admit that millions in EU money had been spent on make-up artists and the production of audio-visual material.
Of the approximately €2.75 million figure, Hahn said that around “95 per cent” had gone to “photographers and videographers covering thousands of Commission events in Brussels, in EU Member States and outside Europe”.
According to the official, the EC also used the money to pay such professionals to produce “thematic and symbolic photos to illustrate all major policy initiatives of the Commission”.
However, he refused to provide a breakdown of how much was spent on make-up artists and photographers by each individual Commissioner, saying that the provision of such information was “not possible” due to various ‘logistical difficulties’.
The EC’s confirmation that it spent in excess €2.75 million on photographers and beauty specialists since the beginning of the current legislative term comes against a backdrop of similar controversy over such spending in Germany, which has been ongoing since last year.
Back in December, German news outlet Bild revealed that the Federal Government of Germany was paying out around €7,500 each month in employing just one beauty stylist tasked with pampering the country’s foreign affairs minister, Annalena Baerbock.
It later emerged Germany’s coalition government had spent some €1.5 million on hairdressers, photographers and make-up artists in 2022 alone, reportedly an 80 per cent increase on the previous year.
That hike in spending had already prompted concerns from some civil society groups, with the German Taxpayer’s Federation advising the government to reverse course in light of the fact that many citizens in the country are struggling with the rising cost of living.
“In times of supposedly tight budgets, record debt and fears of recession, it would be a good signal to taxpayers to reduce spending on expensive make-up artists and to think twice about hiring a photographer to put your own appearance in the desired light,” the federation said in April.
