Word: europeans
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Haferkamp, in fact, whose expense account artistry had provoked the European Parliament into ordering the audit earlier this year. Members of Parliament had been dismayed by reports that he had given a $14,000 cocktail party in Caracas and run up a $2,000 bill for three nights spent in New York City's Pierre hotel. Last year, he took a woman friend on a trip to Peking as an official interpreter at E.C. expense and over Budget Commissioner Christopher Tugendhat's objections. Though the woman was multilingual, she happened to speak not a word of Chinese...
...they exceeded their allowances by 24%, according to the audit. Stung by the charge, Jenkins issued a denial, arguing that the auditors were wrong in calling the 24% an "overrun." The total amount spent, $376,000, he said, was still less than the $381,300 he claimed the European Parliament had allocated for entertainment by the commissioners. But Jenkins promised to publish quickly the commission's response to the audit as well as "a review of all existing practices and procedures...
...while surveys show that compared with America, living costs are up to 73% higher in Switzerland and about 40% higher in West Germany and France, it is also true that European salaries are occasionally richer. A recent study by a U.S. management consulting firm, Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, calculates that the chief executive of a typical medium-size company in Germany earns 50% more than his U.S. counterpart, 40% more in Belgium and The Netherlands, and 20% more in France. Business International, a Geneva research firm, notes that in Switzerland today, a receptionist now gets $19,700 a year...
Though part of the rise in European pay (and prices) when expressed in dollars reflects the slump in the value of the greenback, this does not explain all the difference. In real terms, incomes have simply risen much faster in Europe than in America. According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (O.E.C.D.), between 1972 and 1977 the annual increase in the average hourly wage in the U.S. was less than 1% above the inflation rate. But in Europe, wages have stayed ahead of prices by much greater margins: more than 5% in France, Belgium, Norway...
...European thrift mentality may not be immediately apparent to tourists, but it is strong. Do-it-yourself repairing is popular, meatless days are common, fast foods are rare, and big ticket appliances like washers, dryers and dishwashers are not considered necessities. Shopping is done carefully, with the emphasis on price and quality. Cars may be expensive, but they will be owned for nearly a decade and revitalized with new engines rather than traded in after three years. Executives may buy an expensive tailor-made suit, but it will be made to last seven or more years. Foreign holidays...