From now on, only business trips by commission staff may be paid for, for example, by the UN, the G7, the G20 and, of course, the EU member states, says a spokesperson for the EU Executive Council. If a civil servant gives a lecture at a university or otherwise serves science, the relevant educational institution can also pay its expenses. A generous host like Qatar goes beyond that.
Last week, the authority’s head of the Traffic and Transportation Department lost credibility after exposing flights to Qatar at the expense of the oil state. At the time, the European Union was negotiating a lucrative aviation agreement with Qatar. Qatar is also suspected of bribing members of the European Parliament, among other things to obtain an agreement with the national airline Qatar Airways on landing rights in the European Union through. The European Ombudsman asked the Committee for clarification.
And high-ranking civil servant Henrik Holuli did not take into account the flights, for which Qatar paid, among other things, for tickets and overnight accommodation. According to the commission, he took the position of general manager himself. She says that no general manager or other committee member has taken such free trips in recent years.
According to the commission, work is still in progress on further tightening of travel rules.
