The European Ombudsman is investigating the European Commission over flights and hotel accommodation donated by the Emirate of the Gulf of Qatar. In a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today, Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly asked for information on how the agency “handles business travel requests from its senior staff that are paid for by third parties”.
At the same time, O’Reilly asked the Commission to change its rules and disclose travel expenses paid by third parties.
Free flights for senior officials
Specifically, the investigation concerns travel by the head of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport – i.e. the highest official under the command of the responsible EU Commissioner, Adina Valean. According to Politico magazine, he has flown several times in free business class on Qatar Airways since 2015. Four of those flights were paid for by the Qatari government or groups close to the government.
According to an EU Commission spokeswoman, hotel accommodation costs were also covered. At the same time, the EU Commission negotiated a flight agreement with Qatar. This “raises the legitimate question of possible undue influence on EU decision-making in this area”, emphasized O’Reilly.
Commission: Applicable rules met
As an EU Commission spokesperson explained today, the official in the present case adhered to all applicable rules. As head of the General Directorate, he is responsible for examining potential conflicts of interest in cases that affect him. At the same time, the authority announced that it intends to tighten existing rules.