Appendix 91
(Item 11.3)
Revised rules
concerning the reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses
to government experts and other persons
travelling at the charge of Council of Europe budgets
I.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
Experts and other persons travelling on Council of Europe business and at the Council's expense
(hereinafter referred to as the “experts”) shall arrange their journeys in the most economical manner.
Travelling expenses shall be reimbursed and daily subsistence allowances paid in accordance with the
present rules.
II.
MEANS OF TRANSPORT AND TRAVELLING EXPENSES
Article 2
1.
Experts shall be entitled, as provided for below, to reimbursement of travel expenses incurred in
travelling between the address specified in the notice of the meeting (hereinafter referred to as the “place of
departure”) and the place of the meeting.
2.
If, for personal or professional reasons, experts travel to the meeting from a place other than their
place of departure, or return to such a place after the meeting, the refund shall be restricted to the amount of
expenses they would have incurred in travelling to or from their place of departure. In exceptional and duly
justified circumstances, with the prior approval of the Secretary General, experts may request reimbursement
based on the actual itinerary.
3.
Travelling expenses shall be refunded to only one expert per meeting. If one expert is replaced by
another in the course of the meeting, the latter shall not be entitled to travel expenses.
Article 3
All claims for reimbursement of travel expenses for all means of transport must be accompanied by a copy of
the relevant ticket and evidence of the expenditure actually incurred (for example, an original invoice or
certified copy, credit card slip or statement). In no case shall the amount reimbursed exceed the actual
expenditure incurred.
Article 4
1.
Rail travel
The reimbursement of first class rail fare is authorised. Where the duration of the journey is longer than
6 hours between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., the cost of a sleeper may be reimbursed.
2.
Air travel
Reimbursement shall be based on the economy class fare. However, reimbursement may be based on the
business class fare in the following circumstances:
1 As modified by CM/Del/Dec(2013)1162/11.4
for single flights lasting more than 7 hours;
for more than 15 hours travelling time (more than one flight plus stopovers);
for health reasons attested by a medical certificate, which must be submitted with the claim
form.
The flight itinerary must be presented to justify the duration of flying time or total travelling time, as
appropriate.
Excess baggage charges are not refundable unless justified on grounds of official requirements.
3.
Sea travel
The reimbursement of travel by sea shall not exceed the amount of the air fare as defined in paragraph
2 above. When experts travel by car, the cost of transporting the car by sea shall not be reimbursed (see
Article 6, paragraph 1).
Article 5
1.
Transit fares in connection with changing from one means of transport to another, and fares paid for
travel between the place of departure and/or the place of the meeting and railway station or airport, are
provided for within the daily allowances paid for attendance at meetings and shall not therefore be directly
reimbursed. However, when such fares exceed 20% of the amount of the daily allowances paid, the
difference may be reimbursed, subject to the prior approval of the Secretary General and on presentation of
evidence of the expenditure actually incurred.
2.
Local travel costs incurred during meeting days are provided for within the daily allowances paid for
attendance at meetings and shall not therefore be directly reimbursed.
Article 6
1.
Experts travelling by means other than public transport a distance exceeding 30 kilometres per
journey (one-way) shall be refunded a lump sum based on a kilometric allowance determined annually by the
Committee of Ministers. Distances over 1600 kilometres for the return journey shall be refunded on the basis
of economy class air fare from the nearest airports, unless there is prior approval by the Secretary General
authorising reimbursement based on the kilometric allowance. Journeys of less than 30 kilometres (one-way)
are not reimbursed.
2.
The journey time used as the basis for the calculation of daily allowances shall be the result of the
number of kilometres divided by 90 and shall not exceed 24 hours.
3.
Related costs, such as toll and parking fees, may only be reimbursed with the prior approval of the
Secretary General and only where there is no other possible alternative. Such claims shall be accompanied
by evidence of the expenditure actually incurred.
4.
If two or more experts entitled to claim expenses use the same car, a refund shall be made only to
the person in charge of the vehicle, with an increase of 10% for each passenger.
5.
Experts travelling by car do so at their own risk. The Council of Europe disclaims all liability in
respect of any accident that may occur during the journey.
III.
DAILY ALLOWANCES
Article 7
1.
During the meeting, experts shall be entitled to receive an allowance at a daily rate determined
annually by the Committee of Ministers (the rate in force as from 1 January 2010 is €175). This rate is the
same wherever the meeting takes place. Exceptionally, specific rates may be determined for projects funded
through extra-budgetary resources, in particular Council of Europe – European Union joint programmes, as
agreed with the donor concerned.
2.
This allowance shall be deemed to cover all expenditure incurred by experts in attending meetings,
except for the travel expenses provided for above. However, where in exceptional and duly justified
circumstances, and with the prior approval of the Secretary General, total accommodation costs (room,
breakfast and related taxes) amount to more than 60% of the total daily allowances payable in respect of the
meeting, experts may submit a claim for a supplementary payment. Any such claim must be supported by
original vouchers attesting the actual expenditure incurred on accommodation.
Article 8
1.
The duration of the period conferring entitlement to the allowance shall be determined as follows:
i.
Experts shall be entitled to the daily allowance for each 24-hour period covered by the duration
of the mission to and from the meeting. The duration taken into account for the entitlement to
daily allowances shall not exceed the shortest necessary for attendance at the meeting in
accordance with the means of transport taken as the basis for the refund of travel expenses, as
determined by the rules above.
ii.
The daily allowance shall not be payable for any period of less than 4 hours.
iii.
Where the duration of the journey is equal to or more than 4 hours but less than 8 hours and
no hotel accommodation is involved, the expert shall be paid a quarter of the daily
allowance. The same shall apply to any period equal to or more than 4 hours but less than
8 hours, in excess of 24 hours or any multiple of 24 hours.
iv.
Where the duration of the journey is equal to or more than 8 hours but less than 24 hours
and no hotel accommodation is involved, the expert shall be paid half the daily allowance.
The same shall apply to any period equal to or more than 8 hours but less than 24 hours, in
excess of 24 hours or any multiple of 24 hours.
v.
Where the duration of the journey is equal to or more than 4 hours but less than 24 hours
and hotel accommodation is involved, the expert shall be paid the full amount of the daily
allowance. The same shall apply to any period equal to or more than 4 hours and less than
24 hours, in excess of 24 hours or any multiple of 24 hours.
2.
In the case of air, rail and sea travel, the duration of the return journey shall be increased for the
purpose of calculating the subsistence allowance, by a fixed period of 2 hours.
3.
Experts shall declare any meals or overnight accommodation provided to them free of charge.
Where overnight accommodation or meals of experts are provided free of charge the daily allowance shall be
reduced, unless the Secretary General decides otherwise, by the following amounts:
-
Overnight accommodation
€87.502 (per night)
(50% of the daily allowance)
-
In respect of main meals (lunch or dinner)
€26.253 (per meal)
(15% of the daily allowance)
2 Rate in force at 1 January 2010.
3 Rate in force at 1 January 2010.
IV.
OTHER EXPENSES
Article 9
1.
Other expenses incurred by experts in connection with their attendance at the meeting, such as visa
fees and vaccination costs, which are strictly unavoidable, shall be reimbursed. Such claims shall be
accompanied by evidence of the expenditure actually incurred.
2.
Expenses related to insurance, representation, communication by telephone or fax, the use of the
Internet, and rental of meeting rooms are not reimbursed.
V.
SICKNESS AND ACCIDENT
Article 10
When travelling on behalf of the Council of Europe, government experts are covered in respect of risks
specifically related to such travel by insurance taken out by the Organisation on their behalf. They are
nevertheless obliged in the first instance to exhaust all possibilities of payment of benefits due to them under
the scheme to which they are affiliated in their own country in respect of illness and accident occurring during
the journey and/or the meeting.
VI.
REIMBURSEMENT
Article 11
The expenses referred to above shall be refunded upon submission of a claim certified true and correct by
the expert, to which all vouchers required by the rules must be appended.