31/03/23 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 31 March, Croatian Maja Bakran Marcich took up her post as head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). The former Deputy Director of the same Directorate-General, she will take up this position on an interim basis. She replaces former Director Henrik Hololei, who was caught up in the controversy following revelations about a potential conflict of interest. Mr Hololei accepted nine free business class trips on Qatar Airways between 2015 and 2021 while his staff were negotiating an ‘open skies’ agreement with Doha to allow the Qatari company free access to the European market (see EUROPE 13135/18). An investigation has been opened by the European Anti-Fraud Office. Mr Hololei has been appointed “at his own request” to the role of ‘adviser hors classe’ in DG International Partnerships (see EUROPE 13152/24). (TM)