Babiš's Chief of Staff Visited 15 Countries in Six Months, Spending Just 24,000 Crowns
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The head of the office of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Tünde Barta, made 16 foreign work trips to 15 countries between January and the end of July 2025. According to the government office, the total cost of this journey across Europe and Asia came to just 24,682 crowns.
Babiš's spokeswoman, Karla Mráčková, explained that Barta accompanies the prime minister not only as head of the government office but also as head of his cabinet — she holds both positions simultaneously while drawing only a single salary. According to the spokeswoman, during foreign visits Barta regularly meets with her counterparts from other countries and takes part in delegation talks, just as her counterparts in similar posts across Europe do.
A Six-Month Itinerary
In January, Barta took part in a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" in France, a one-day official visit to Slovakia, the economic conference in Davos, Switzerland, and, at the end of the month, held separate "bilateral talks" in Brussels. The government office did not specify who exactly she met with in Brussels.
In February, the trips continued with visits to Italy, Austria, Slovakia and France. In March, Barta traveled to Berlin and attended a European Council meeting in Belgium, while April brought an informal European Council summit in Cyprus and a four-day tour with the prime minister's delegation through Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
In June, together with Babiš, she attended the EU–Western Balkans summit in Montenegro, a European Council meeting in Brussels, and a visit to Hungary. In July came the NATO summit in Turkey, and at the end of the month, a trip to Serbia, where the prime minister voiced support for the country's accession to the EU and the Schengen Area.
Rock-Bottom Travel Costs
According to the government office, the cost of each individual trip was symbolic. For instance, Barta's participation in the January visit to France cost just 121 crowns, the two-day trip to Davos came to 2,331 crowns, and the four-day tour of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan cost 2,397 crowns.
Source: novinky.cz
