Travel undertaken by a member of the Commission

11.10.2016

Question for written answer P-007672-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
David Campbell Bannerman (ECR)

Early this year I asked the Commission President to explain the extraordinary level of foreign travel undertaken by the Commission Vice-President with responsibility for Budget and Human Resources; predictably my question received an unsatisfactory response.

Throughout the year media reports have persisted that the Vice-President has been away from Brussels ‘canvassing’ for the post of UN Secretary-General, a position for which a number of Member States had already put forward nominations. There were also persistent allegations about pressure being brought to bear on Bulgaria to withdraw its nominated candidate in favour of Commission Vice-President Georgieva.

Against this background, will the Commission outline to the Parliament a full list of all of the foreign travel undertaken by Commissioner Georgieva in the last 15 months, with an indication of the duration and full cost of each trip, including staff costs in each case, and will it request that the EU Court of Auditors review the expenditures concerned and indicate whether they are deemed appropriate to the task of the Commission Vice-President with responsibility for the EU ‘Budget and Human Resources’ or not.