# Inspection concerning how the European Commission deals with third parties paying for work travel and hospitality for its staff members and whether potential conflicts of interest were assessed 
- Author: European Ombudsman
- Date: 2025-07-16T16:30+02:00[Europe/Paris]
- [URL](https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/doc/correspondence/en/187337)
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| President European Commission |

Dear President,

I refer to my letter of 2 February 2024 in the above inquiry in which I requested a list of work trips carried out by senior officials, from 2021 to 7 March 2023, for which third parties covered the costs at least partially. The Commission shared the requested list on 30 April.

Based on the information provided, I have decided that it is necessary to inspect the file in relation to 28 work trips. Please find a detailed description of my inspection request in the confidential annex.[\[1\]](#_ftn1){#_ftnref1}

I would also like to ask the Commission for an update on the revision of its Guide to Missions. In reply to SI/2/2023/KR, the Commission informed me that the instructions related to third parties paying for work travel, issued with immediate effect on 7 March 2023, would be included in the revised Guide to Missions.

I would be grateful if your office could contact the Inquiries Officer responsible is Mr Koen Roovers.

Information or documents that your institution considers to be confidential will not be disclosed without the prior agreement of the Commission. [\[2\]](#_ftn2){#_ftnref2}

Yours sincerely,

Emily O'Reilly  
European Ombudsman

Strasbourg, 31/05/2024

[\[1\]](#_ftnref1){#_ftn1} The Commission asked the European Ombudsman not to disclose the data provided as it contains personal data.

[\[2\]](#_ftnref2){#_ftn2} Please clearly mark such material 'Confidential'. Encrypted emails can be sent to our dedicated mailbox. Information and documents of this kind will be deleted from the European Ombudsman's files shortly after the inquiry has ended.