The European Commission refused to back its top transport official, who faces an internal probe for breaching the EU’s rules when he signed off on his own free flights to Qatar.
A Commission spokesperson was asked whether the EU executive retained confidence in the director general of the transport department, Henrik Hololei, after disclosing that he personally decided that there was no conflict of interest when he took free Qatar Airways tickets while his team negotiated an open skies deal with Doha.
Speaking at a daily briefing for journalists, the spokesperson declined to say whether the Commission still had confidence in Hololei, replying: “We cannot jump to any conclusions before having the facts established.”
The Commission launched an internal probe into Hololei following revelations from POLITICO that he accepted free flights from the Qatari government while his team was negotiating a major aviation deal vital to the Gulf state’s own airline.
The Estonian official flew business class for free on Qatar Airways nine times between 2015 and 2021, according to details obtained by POLITICO through freedom of information requests.
“The competent service of the Commission, which is DG HR, is looking at the context and circumstances of those missions, so it’s basically gathering the facts around those missions,” said the spokesperson, who declined to indicate when the Commission will announce the probe’s outcome. The spokesperson added: “We want to proceed quickly, rapidly and efficiently.”
On Monday the Commission said that if Hololei is found guilty, sanctions will be consistent with the EU’s staff regulations.
Under those procedures, if there is evidence of wrongdoing, the Commission can issue a warning to the official; initiate its own disciplinary procedure; or refer the matter to a disciplinary board. Penalties range from a written warning to the removal of an official from their post and a pension reduction.
