MEP Daniel Freund has stated that the aviation agreement between the European Union and Qatar should be reviewed or even suspended amid allegations of corruption involving a former senior European Commission official.
Speaking during a debate on the report on the implementation of the EU budget for 2024, Freund noted that the situation surrounding the dismissed Henrik Hololay is unprecedented. According to him, this is likely the first instance in which the European Commission has effectively suspended such a high-ranking civil servant amid allegations of misconduct.
Freund emphasised that it was Hololey who had taken part in negotiations with Qatar on the ‘open skies’ agreement. In this regard, the MEP expressed concern that the agreement might have been concluded under the influence of a bribe received by the official.
“ If there are grounds to believe that the agreement was the result of corruption, then we cannot simply continue to apply it,” he said, adding that the European Parliament should consider suspending it until the investigation is complete.
Freund noted that the situation requires not only an internal investigation but also a political assessment of the implications for existing EU international agreements.
It should be noted that Hololey, who served as Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, found himself at the centre of a scandal following reports that he had accepted paid trips from Qatari representatives during the period when negotiations on the aviation agreement were taking place.
The EU-Qatar Open Skies Agreement, concluded in 2021, aims to liberalise air transport, expand airlines’ access to markets and increase competition.
