European Union civil servants are building a subsidised creche for their children where places will cost more than £20,000 a year - almost as much as fees at Eton. The 180-place creche is due to open next year, but the costs are already raising eyebrows in Brussels. Even hardened Eurocrats, used to generous living at the expense of EU taxpayers, have been startled. A year's fees at Eton are £22,380.
Fees at private creches in Brussels are no more than £6,000 a year and public creches cost less. But places are hard to come by and waiting lists are long. The creche is being built by the Council of the European Union, the main decision- making body of the EU, which is made up of ministers from each member state, and run by a rotating presidency, at present held by Luxembourg. The presidency and ministers and officials attending meetings are supported by a permanent general secretariat, whose workers will be the main beneficiaries. They will be expected to pay no more than £3,500 a year, thanks to subsidies provided by the EU taxpayer. Diplomats and officials at other EU institutions will pay the full price.
Vittorio Griffo, the director general of administration, said the fees included £5,000 towards purchasing and converting the premises, spread over the next 27 years. "The standards are not Hilton Hotel, you won't find any gold taps, we have nothing to hide. We are simply following Belgian national standards."
Why bother to lie anymore? There is nothing the peasants can do to stop them, so why not tell them to eat cake? |