BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — On January 1, the Netherlands took over the mantel of the EU presidency from Luxembourg, which it will hold until June 30, 2016.
According to the press release, almost 46 million euros is due to be spent on central infrastructure, organization and events, including the cost of fitting out meeting venues, audiovisual facilities, lighting and solar panels. The remaining 16.8 million euros will be spent on ministerial meetings, including interpreting services.
It is noted in the statement that the previous Dutch presidency of the European Union in 2004 cost 97 million euros.