Sunday October 21,2012 - By Kirsty Buchanan

EUROCRATS and lobbyists staged a two-day conference on poverty at huge expense to the taxpayer, writes Kirsty Buchanan.

Presidents from Europe and Africa were among 6,000 delegates at the European Development Day 2012 event in the Tour and Taxis venue in Brussels.

It included 1,500 organisations, 22 panel groups, lectures and films and was covered by 50 journalists, plus live web-streaming.

Organisers of the European Commission sponsored event would not say how much it cost but estimates suggest the bill will run to hundreds of thousands of euros for facilities and security.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: “The profligacy and waste of the EU’s development spending is typified by this monster bean feast. Aid spending in this time of financial crisis is out of control.”

With former French president Jacques Chirac and Palestinian leader Salam Fayyad among the guests, the event follows claims that £1.4billion has been spent on EU projects in well-off countries.

Aid money is also still being doled out to rapidly developing countries like Brazil and India.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/353383/EU-s-poverty-bean-feast-