by N. Peter Kramer
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen flew 23 times on a private plane last year. According to the code of conduct for EU Commissioners, private planes may only be used in exceptional cases.
According to the list, von der Leyen also travelled in 2023 on a private plane between Brussels and Strasbourg, the two seats of the European Parliament. However, there are train connections that take less than five hours to travel. The Code of Conduct for EU Commissioners states: ‘All options, including alternative time tables, should be carefully considered so that the aircraft is considered only as a last resort’.
‘It is a shame that the president of the Commission is still travelling by private plane in the face of the climate crisis’, the leading German weekly Der Spiegel says. ‘Calling on people with little money to save energy but flying even on short distance themselves in a private jet is just brutal’.
Josep Borell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, travelled by private plane only twice during the period. The other 25 EU Commissioners together used a private plane a total of 29 times last year.
