19/12/2022 (Agence Europe) – Seven MEPs from the Greens/EFA group sent a letter, on Friday 16 December, to the Commissioner for Transparency, Věra Jourová, expressing their concerns about the compatibility of Heiko von der Leyen’s business activities with the institutional role of his wife and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He holds management positions in the US company Orgenesis Inc., one of whose subsidiaries, MIDA Biotech, has received €4 million in funding from the Horizon Europe programme. “Questions from EU citizens and their representatives about possible conflicts of interest are legitimate”, the letter argues. At a time when the European Parliament is reeling from a high-profile corruption case (see EUROPE 13085/20), the signatories of the letter also call on the Commission to “rapidly propose an independent ethics body”. To see the letter (in French): https://aeur.eu/f/4qa (TM)