Charter flight
Von der Leyen criticized for a 20-minute flight
The EU Commission President traveled from Vienna to Bratislava in a private jet and is now under criticism. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / PA Wire / dpa
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The EU Commission President traveled from Vienna to Bratislava in a private jet – although the cities are not even 100 kilometers apart. Johnson has also come under fire for a similar incident.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been criticized for a 20-minute charter flight from Vienna to Bratislava. Clear words came from both the European Taxpayers Association and the Bundestag.
The flight was an “ecological sin,” said the General Secretary of the Taxpayers’ Association, Michael Jäger, of the “Bild” newspaper. In addition to tax money, this “above all costs a lot of credibility”. The CDU MP Jana Schimke commented: “If you want change, you have to set an example. Otherwise you will be implausible. “
Both alluded to the fact that von der Leyen repeatedly calls for more commitment to climate protection. Most recently, she said at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow earlier this week: “We all, worldwide, have to go much faster.” The “Bild” now researched that the former defense minister had flown in June with a charter jet from Vienna to the Slovak capital, Bratislava. The distance is less than a hundred kilometers by car. The journey takes about an hour by train.
Speaker: no other option
At the request of the German Press Agency, a spokesman for the EU Commission named, among other things, reasons for the flight. Von der Leyen had to fly on to the Latvian capital Riga that evening. The Commission President would have lost a lot of time if she had left the plane in Vienna. The “Bild” quoted a spokesman for the authorities as saying: “Alternatives were examined, but logistically there was no other option.” In addition, there were concerns about the use of scheduled flights or trains due to the corona pandemic.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticized for a similar incident: he left the UN world climate summit by private jet. On Tuesday, the conservative politician had the heads of state and government gathered at the COP26 in Glasgow reassuringly to turn words into deeds in the fight against climate change.
Private flight to an exclusive dinner
According to a report by the Daily Mirror, Johnson then got on a private jet and went to dinner in an exclusive club in London whose membership is only for men. He is said to have met the former editor-in-chief of the Daily Telegraph and avowed climate skeptic Charles Moore. “This is breathtaking hypocrisy from the Prime Minister,” said Anneliese Dodds of the opposition Labor Party to the “Mirror”.
A government spokesman justified Johnson’s travel plans by plane on Monday by saying that the prime minister had to be able to cope with considerable time pressure. A statement on Thursday said Johnson had used one of the most carbon-efficient aircraft of its size in the world – with the most sustainable fuel. Britain will neutralize all CO2 emissions associated with the climate summit, the statement said.