Von der Leyen and her pretty expensive advisers

The new head of the Commission has had a breathtaking start. With her „Green Deal“, Ursula von der Leyen has made all problems disappear. But now an old contracting scandal is coming up again. There is also news from her Brussels advisor’s staff.

Message number one: In the German contracting scandal („Berateraffäre“) that von der Leyen is still carrying around from her time as Minister of Defence, traces have apparently been covered up.

The data on her former mobile phone had already been deleted in August, Markus Paulick, the government’s deputy commissioner for the investigation of the affair, told the Bundestag in Berlin.

Parliament had previously requested that the cell phone be classified as evidence. Now the accusation of unauthorized document destruction is on the table, according to the newspaper „Die Welt“.

The contractors – several external consultants – received more than 200.000 Euros. German media are speculating that von der Leyen has made some of the dubious contracts by mobile phone.

News item number two: The new head of the Commission is said to have promoted her German „spin doctor“ to one of the highest ranks of the EU Commission, reports „Libération“.

Jens Flosdorff is to earn 17,000 euros a month as Deputy Director-General – and he is new to Brussels. But this is not the only German „copain“, reports J. Quatremer, who had already uncovered the Selmayr affair.

In a new article, the Frenchman reports on the miraculous rise of Michael Hager, the former head of Günther Oettinger’s cabinet. He, too, is said to have been exceptionally well „cared for“.

But Brussels does not like to talk about that. I wonder whether the European Parliament will take up the matter. The advisor affair should interest the MEPs, shouldn’t it?