Ursula von Der Leyen and other EU leaders used the charter flight to travel to Luxembourg, which raised questions about ecological transport.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von Der Leyen, head of the European Council António Costa and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsol, became criticized for being used for last week’s trip from Brussels to Luxembourg and used the irregular airline. The car would take about 2.5 hours, but according to Politico magazine, the three probably completed one of the shortest official flights in history, writes TASR.
The decision to go to the Charter Summer on Friday from Brussels to Luxembourg spokeswoman Paula Pinhová justified by inconsistency in the plans of three leaders of EU institutions and Luxembourg Prime Minister Luca Frieden, who wanted to meet on the occasion of Europe Day.
Charter flight
“The intention was for three chairmen … to celebrate Schuman’s day along with Prime Minister Luc Frieden in Luxembourg. Given the restrictions in their schedule, the only way to travel was to use the charter flight,” Pinh said during the briefing. He considers this to be justified because it was an exceptional situation. “And of course it’s really faster than if you were driving a car,” she added.
This is not the first time that the use of private aircraft has triggered criticism in Brussels. This happens especially at a time when the EU promotes more environmentally friendly transport and is trying to reduce the emissions of institutions in accordance with its climatic goals.
The EU without its own fleet
Unlike many national governments, the EU does not have its own fleet of aircraft for the transport of officials. Instead, on official roads, it relies on commercial airlines or rented flights, making such measures more visible and controversial, Politico magazine added.
