The flight of discord. As COP26 just ended in Glasgow, a message indicating that Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, took a private plane from Vienna, the Austrian capital, to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia , has gone viral on Twitter. The two towns are about 80km away by road.
“Mrs Ursula von der Leyen taking a private jet from Vienna to Bratislava (19 minutes flight, 47km) to explain to me that my diesel is a danger to the planet! », Can we read on this message shared more than 4,700 times on Twitter and accompanied by an old photo of the president boarding a plane.
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Ursula von der Leyen performed this flight on June 21, confirms a spokesperson for the European Commission at 20 minutes. If it is this mode of transport which has been preferred, it is for “logistical” reasons, develops the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen having visited six countries in three days. “Alternatives were explored, but from a logistical point of view there was no other option than a plane taxi. The president had to fly from Bratislava to Riga [la capitale lettone] on the same plane the same evening. “
The plane was also preferred because of the health context, adds the spokesperson: “Concerns have been expressed about the use of regular flights or trains due to Covid-19. The crew who supervised the six flights were fully tested. “
Six countries visited in three days to present recovery plans
These three days of travel cost 8,839.13 euros in transport per person. These costs, as well as those related to Ursula von der Leyen’s other travel, are available online on the website of the European Commission. This site, however, does not specify the mode of transportation used for each official visit.
These express trips, spread over three days from June 21 to 23, saw the president travel to Austria, Slovakia, Latvia, Germany, Italy and France to present the recovery plans intended to face the crisis. caused by Covid-19.
According to the British daily The Daily Telegraph, who was the first
to evoke this flight between the Austrian and Slovak capitals, Ursula von der Leyen has borrowed private planes 18 times since December 2019, when she became Commission President.