Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001292/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mariusz Kamiński (ECR)
In March 2023, it was revealed that Henrik Hololei – who held very senior positions in the Commission for two decades, including Director-General in DG MOVE – had been taking flights in business class on the Qatari national carrier Qatar Airways since at least 2015. At the same time, the EU was negotiating an Open Skies Agreement with Qatar. The OLAF report showed that Hololei had made luxury trips funded by Qatar that were worth tens of thousands of euros. These luxury trips, flights, hotels and gifts also extended to his family.
Despite the obvious conflict of interest, the Commission considered that no irregularity had occurred.
As the journalistic investigation revealed, in accordance with the applicable rules it was Hololei himself who assessed whether the gifts he accepted gave rise to a conflict of interest. Despite the limited powers of the investigators, the OLAF investigation revealed the scale of what was happening, which the Commission tried to hide from the public. At the last meeting of the LIBE Committee, the Head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the Commission had not forwarded the OLAF report to the EPPO, which has much broader investigative powers and whose investigation could uncover new evidence.
- 1.Why did the Commission conceal from the public the scale of the irregularities in the case of Henrik Hololei – a vital thread in the Qatargate scandal – and why did it not decide to dismiss him immediately, moving him instead to the lucrative role of Hors Classe Adviser?
- 2.Why did the Commission not send the OLAF report to the EPPO, which many officials consider to be a criminal offence in itself?
- 3.Does the Commission see no grounds for re-examining the Open Skies Agreement with Qatar?
Submitted: 27.3.2025