The European Ombudsman driving positive change: European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho has welcomed the European Commission’s constructive engagement and implemented measures to ensure that staff work trips, paid for by third parties, do not give rise to conflicts of interest.

In line with suggestions from the Ombudsman’s Office, the Commission has agreed to record the nature of third parties paying for staff work trips and the costs borne by them, as well as its assessments of potential and perceived conflicts of interest.

The requirement to record this information is included in new guidance for Commission staff and in the dedicated IT tool used for planning work travel.

Background

Following revelations that a former Commission director-general travelled to Qatar and received hospitality paid for by third parties, the Ombudsman’s Office examined how the Commission assessed and mitigated potential conflicts of interest related to work travel paid for by third parties.

While the Office did not identify any case that gave rise to conflict of interest concerns other than those of the former director-general, it suggested the Commission start recording its assessments of these trips to allow for greater scrutiny.