EU watchdog seeks clarity about Qatar travel freebies

The European Union's administrative watchdog is trying to find out how a top transport official was permitted to fly to Qatar with tickets paid for by the government there, as a major corruption scandal linked to the Gulf state roils the bloc's parliament.

In a letter made public on Monday, European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly noted that the head of the European Commission's transport department, Henrik Hololei, had “travelled a number of times between 2015 and 2021 at the expense of the Qatari government or organisations that are close to it.” The trips were made when the department, known as DG MOVE, was involved in negotiating an EU-Qatar air transportation agreement, which was signed on October 18, 2021. Hololei didn't take part in the negotiations, but did lead the department conducting them.

O'Reilly asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen how the paid flights were authorised by the EU's executive branch and how many other commissioners or senior officials have had their travel expenses reimbursed by non-EU countries or organisations since January 2021.

“The Qatari government and organisations close to it paying for travel expenses for DG MOVE's most senior official gives rise to legitimate questions around possible undue influence of the EU's decision-making in this area,” O'Reilly wrote.

“Whilst such missions may further the interest of the EU, it is of the utmost importance that these arrangements are scrutinised in order to manage the risks of conflicts of interest, whether real, potential or perceived,” she added.

A commission official said last Thursday that Hololei's travel expenses respected the rules governing conflicts of interest which were in place at the time. But the official said that a review of the code was launched late last year to address any shortfalls.

The ombudsman's inquiry comes four months after four people were charged with corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organisation for allegedly accepting bribes from Qatari and Moroccan officials to influence proceedings at the European Parliament.

Both countries deny being involved but the EU parliament has suspended work on all Qatar-related files, including on an agreement to ease visa restrictions for some Qatari nationals, until an investigation is completed.

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