Business trips
Von der Leyen at the top: 23 flights in a private jet in 2023
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled in a private jet a total of 23 times last year. photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
The EU Commission consists of 27 commissioners. Last year they flew a total of 29 flights in private jets. 23 of these were attributed to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited one 23 times last year Flyed a private jet. This puts it far ahead of the 27 EU Commissioners – the Commission as a whole only had 29 such flights in 2023, as can be seen from a paper that the EU politician and left-wing leader Martin Schirdewan had requested and which is available to the German Press Agency.
According to a code of conduct for commission members, private aircraft should only be used in exceptional cases. The “Spiegel” had previously reported on Thursday.
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell only traveled twice on a private plane during the period, as the paper shows. According to the list, von der Leyen traveled three times in 2023 on a private plane between Brussels and Strasbourg, the two seats of the EU Parliament. There are train connections that take under five hours to cover the route. The Code of Conduct for Commissioners states: “All options, including alternative scheduling, should be carefully considered so that air taxi is only considered as a last option.”
“It is a shame that the Commission President is still relying on private planes in the face of the climate crisis,” Schirdewan told “Spiegel”. Commissioners and their staff should not be allowed to fly to destinations that can be traveled by train within six hours. “Calling people with little money to save energy, but flying from A to B in a private jet is audacious.”