EU officials can be invited by third parties as long as there is no conflict of interest, a spokesman said.
(Photo: Imago)
Brussels In its lobbying efforts in Brussels, the Gulf state of Qatar has apparently not only generously considered MEPs. Even a Director General of the EU Commission now has to justify expensive invitations. In a fire letter, ten Green MEPs are calling on Transport Commissioner Adina Valean to investigate several free flights by her Director General Henrik Hololei for possible conflicts of interest.
It is noted with concern that Hololei flew several times for free with Qatar Airways while negotiating the flight deal with Qatar, the letter read Thursday evening. The Commission should justify why this does not constitute a conflict of interest.
One of the signatories, Green MEP Daniel Freund, called for disciplinary proceedings against Hololei on Friday. It is unacceptable for Commission officials to accept free flights worth tens of thousands of euros from lobby organizations, the politician said. This could be attempted bribery in ongoing negotiations.
The background: The online portal “Politico” reported at the beginning of the week that Hololei had flown to Qatar at least nine times free of charge in the business class of the state airline between 2015 and 2021. Two of the flights were paid for directly by the Qatari government, the rest by lobby organizations and conference organizers.
As Director-General in the Directorate-General for Transport (DG Move), Hololei is the most senior official directly below the Commissioner. He is responsible for the operative business of the authority – and thus also for the negotiations on the aviation agreement with Qatar, which was decided in 2021.
The director-general is also said to have not entered meetings with lobbyists in the transparency register.
(Photo: Imago)
The agreement has been on hold since last year’s corruption scandal in the European Parliament. Qatar has been accused of bribing MPs to influence decisions. Several social democratic parliamentarians are in custody after large amounts of cash were found on them.
Commission defends Director-General
There is no evidence of criminal conduct in the Hololei case, but the revelations now cast the Commission in a bad light. Hololei is a “repeat offender,” said Freund. Not only did he allow himself to be invited, but he also failed to report several meetings with lobbyists in the transparency register, contrary to the regulations.
The Commission denies any wrongdoing. At the time, it was concluded that there was no conflict of interest and the trips were therefore approved, a spokesman said on Friday.
The vast majority of travel by EU officials is paid for by the agency itself. However, the rules stipulate that employees may be invited as long as there is no conflict of interest and the invitation is reported internally. Both happened in the Hololei case.
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In fact, there has long been a gray area in all Brussels institutions when travel expenses are covered by third parties. After the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, however, the old customs are being put to the test. Since last year, the Commission has been examining whether lobbying rules need to be tightened. You want to make the rules “clearer,” said the spokesman.
The Commission’s explanations are not enough for Deputy Freund. The Green politician said that if the Commission were once again unable to identify a conflict of interest, this would underscore the need for an independent ethics authority.
More: Travel and gifts put EU Parliament President Metsola under pressure.