Charles Michel on the use of private jets: “I don’t book these flights myself, do I?” | Abroad

Michel, President of the European Council of Heads of Government, responded this morning with an interview The standard And The Free to the criticisms he received after The world wrote last weekend about the sharply increased costs of traveling for work. He also opted for a private jet or his official chauffeur-driven car to Paris last year, a distance that can be covered from Brussels in an hour and a half by train.

“Charles Michel has an exemplary function, but unfortunately he is not an example,” said MEP Paul Tang (PvdA) yesterday. “A bit of Dutch frugality – especially when it comes to public money – is advisable.” Tang and other MPs, like many senior Commission officials and Dutch diplomats, take the train from Brussels to destinations such as Paris. Strasbourg.

Michel today: ,,It’s true that I went to Paris by car instead of taking the train. I decide not. There are security measures. And I had confidential conversations on the trip that I couldn’t have on the train.”

It bothers the 47-year-old Belgian that only he is being looked at and not the European Commission: the European institutions have a joint contract with a private jet rental company. “The rules for using private jets are the same for the Council (which represents the Member States, editor’s note) and the Commission, and the two institutions use them in the same way. But we have the impression that we are experiencing derailments and that the use of the Commission is normal,” he told his investigators.

We are all flying together more and more, so it is important that there is a more sustainable alternative (video):

He also gives an explanation for this: “There may be an attempt to destabilize and intimidate me and the Council. I know how it works and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the increased role of the Council and the EU on the international scene can disturb certain players. a Brussels bubble and there are also people with ambition.

The European Commission is the European institution that proposes legislation and enforces laws once they are adopted. The Council of Ministers of the member states and the European Parliament approve these proposals, usually after major amendments. The European Council, chaired by Michel, is the “summit” of heads of government which meets every few months to define the main lines.

There has always been some rivalry between the institutions over who represents the EU on the world stage, but between Michel and von der Leyen it is bigger than ever. For them, both are far from the end of their political careers. According to critics, Michel’s style is relatively loose, while Von der Leyen is a disciplined file eater. She literally lives at work and has had a small apartment built for herself in the offices of the Commission.

“Only 460,000 euros to fly to Beijing. Do you understand that this can be shocking?”, ask the investigators. (Von der Leyen took a scheduled flight for his visit to China.) Michel: ,,I understand that it is expensive and I understand the sensitivities of private flights. But the services carefully considered whether there was an alternative here, and there were even contacts with the Belgian army. I regret that the way it is presented diverts attention from the fundamental question: what place do citizens want for the EU in the world?