EU leaders under fire for private jet ride from Brussels to Luxembourg

13 May, Luxembourg

EU leaders are facing backlash for using a private jet for a short flight from Brussels to Luxembourg, despite strong public commitments to climate action.

European Union leaders are under intense scrutiny amid reports that several high-level officials took a private jet on a short-haul flight from Brussels to Luxembourg, just over 200 kilometers apart.

The decision has been met with scorn from environmentalists, opposition politicians, and climate activists who say it is hypocritical, particularly after the EU’s repeated promises to take the lead on climate action and lower carbon emissions.

According to reports confirmed to the EU’s media group, at least six senior officials, whose positions were both on the European Commission as well as the Council of the European Union, took a charter flight in a private jet last week for the two-day summit in Luxembourg.

The flight took just 50 minutes to complete as opposed to the just over two hours on the train, but came at a significantly higher environmental cost.

The news brought outrage on social media and among environmental organizations. Greta Thunberg, perhaps the most famous climate activist, referred to it as “yet another example of performative climate leadership,” and is questioning how truly serious EU leaders are on the Green Deal and net-zero pledges.

“While talking about citizens being less mobile and lowering their carbon footprints, our leaders take the most polluting mode of transport for a trip that could realistically have been completed by train.

It is not just tone deaf – It is irresponsible,” said Anuna De Wever, a climate activist from Belgium and member of the Youth for Climate movement.

The average carbon dioxide emissions per passenger on a short-haul private jet flight can be 20 times more than a flight with a commercial airline and as much as 50 times more than a train trip. With high-speed rail connections between Brussels and Luxembourg, critics are saying that there is no justification for using private air travel.

In a press briefing on Monday, Eric Mamer, spokesperson for the European Commission, stated that scheduling issues and security protocols were the reason for using air travel. He also stated that “all emissions related to official travel are offset through the EU’s carbon offsetting system.”

Nonetheless, the European Parliament’s opposition parties, especially from the Greens/EFA group, have also raised the demand for an investigation and more transparency on the travel of EU officials.

Philippe Lamberts, Belgian MEP and co-chair of the Greens/EFA group, stated: “Offsetting is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for thundering emissions. A leader leads by example. This was an opportunity to do better.”

The debacle comes at a precarious time for the European Union in the position of concluding new environmental legislation before COP30 and could tarnish the EU’s credibility on the international scene, where the EU has long considered itself to be credible, in climate policy.

As public scrutiny increases, there are many calls for tighter rules on official travel for EU representatives, and for train travel to be favoured over air travel whenever possible. It remains to be seen whether this incident will lead to institutional change or be swept under the carpet – the optics already have done enough damage.

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