The EU’s “foreign office” has ordered a palatial new dinning service, which could cost upwards of £2 million. It includes crystal glassware, silver cutlery and fine china for hosting banquets and feasts for visiting dignitaries.
The tableware will be embellished with the Flag of Europe and the entire dinner service will cost nearly ten times more that one recently purchased for The White House, with the porcelain alone costing up to 550,000 euros (£384,000).
It is intended to cater for up to 3,360 eurocrats and guests at The European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters in Brussels, and at 140 of their EU “embassies” around the world. A tender, seen by the Daily Telegraph, was published on 23rd of April and bids opened this Tuesday.
The EEAS encourages member states to give up their own national embassies in foreign nations and instead “embed” diplomats within it’s own institutions. It has been accused of eroding nation states individual diplomatic influence around the world.
The Telegraph also reports to have seen tender documents for a credit line of up to 200 million euros (£138 million) for purchasing property around the world worth 450 million euros (£312 million). The EEAS claims this will save money in the long-term, as it will end the need to rent buildings.
Conservative MEP and retired British Army Brigadier, Geoffrey Van Orden, said:
“If we need further confirmation of the pretentions and aspirations to grandeur of this organisation, this dinner service is it. It is absolutely appalling.
“We must put a scythe to the costs of the EEAS before it gets out of hand. We can no longer tolerate these false ambitions, not least when we are cutting back our own embassies.”