EU boss with scandalous flight: Von der Leyen flies 50 kilometers in a private jet

As President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has to travel far and wide again and again.

But is a flight from Vienna to nearby Bratislava really necessary?

The criticism is great.

Munich - There were numerous protests around the climate summit in Glasgow. Politicians are doing too little to stop man-made climate change, was the creed of many demonstrators, including Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer. It must have seemed like a slap in the face for many that almost all heads of state and delegations of the countries traveled by plane, which is known to be one of the greatest CO2 sins that can be committed.

But it seems that one politician massively trumped her colleagues in this regard this summer: Ursula von der Leyen.

This is reported by several media outlets, including the British

.

The EU Commission President is said to have rented a private jet in the summer when she was traveling from European capital to capital to distribute EU Corona aid funds.

Von der Leyen en route with a private jet: 47 kilometers from Vienna to Bratislava

What at first sounds like a normal official act becomes sensational at the latest when you look at the individual routes.

On June 21, von der Leyen flew from the Austrian capital Vienna to the Slovak capital Bratislava.

Airline distance from airport to airport: 47 kilometers.

The

calculated the CO2 consumption at 1130 kilograms.

It takes about an hour for this distance by car or train - and emits a fraction of that.

The criticism is of course great.

As recently as May von der Leyen said: “We need the railways as a sustainable mode of transport more than ever before in order to achieve our goals of the European Green Deal.” Your EU Commission had proclaimed 2021 the “Year of the Rails”.

Ursula von der Leyen in a private jet: pioneer or environmental sinner?

Confronted with the allegations, a spokesman for the EU Commission told

: “With departure and arrival in Belgium, the President's trip took the President to seven countries in two days.

Alternatives were examined, but logistically there was no other option.

The president had to fly from Bratislava to Riga on the same plane that evening. ”In addition, there were concerns about using scheduled flights or trains due to Corona.

"The crew that looked after all six flights was completely corona tested."

Video: Von der Leyen: 19-minute short-haul flight

According to the

, von der Leyen used a private jet on 18 of their 34 business trips.

The EU President presents herself as a pioneer in the fight against climate change, in Glasgow at the climate summit she said: “We all, worldwide, have to go much faster.” Von der Leyen himself will probably find out how that fits in with her sometimes special trips not very clear one.

(fmü)