29/01/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 29 January, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen, announced that the EU institution had concluded the disciplinary proceedings initiated against the former Director-General of Transport Services, Henrik Hololei (see EUROPE 13516/23). “This procedure established that the staff member concerned had breached the applicable rules”, she announced, adding that as a result, the College of European Commissioners had taken “appropriate and commensurate measures”. Mr Hololei’s dismissal will take effect on Monday 16 February, according to a European source. Between 2015 and 2021, Mr Hololei benefited from free business class travel on Qatar Airways while his colleagues were negotiating an agreement with Doha that would allow the Qatari airline to access the EU market (see EUROPE 13135/18). (MB)