Qatargate: Qatar Airways alleged kickbacks scandal at the European Parliament takes a new trend
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The final aviation deal granted Qatar-based airlines, including Qatar Airways, landing rights at most EU destinations, offering the carrier lucrative access to a market of 450 million consumers.
In return, EU airlines received access to a market of fewer than 3 million people, but through a Doha airport hub that’s strategically located between the megacities of Europe and Asia.
Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the Commission “will of course respond” to the Ombudsman’s questions.
The Commission is already revising the rules on free trips to non-EU countries to “severely limit the cases in which such hospitality is allowed, namely to international events organized by the U.N., the G7 and G20, and of course official events organized by [EU] member states,” Mamer added.
The upcoming investigation is the latest chapter in the ongoing “Qatargate” corruption scandal that has rocked the EU, leading to the arrest of three members of the European Parliament in Belgium and Italy, as well as a former EU lawmaker.