Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001956/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Dolors Montserrat (PPE)
There is mounting proof that the EUR 475 million public bailout of Air Europe was directly forced by the government of Pedro Sánchez. Messages between members of the government show that the Prime Minister, his wife and ministers Jesús Ábalos, Nadia Calviño and María Jesús Montero intervened to speed up the operation.
In addition, a senior member of the Prime Minister’s team – Manuel de la Rocha, who has no ministerial powers – participated in the vote with no legal basis for doing so. The aid was granted exceptionally quickly, with the loans being split up into smaller amounts to get around the obligation to notify the Commission.
As the Court of Auditors pointed out, members of the government were not involved in other bailouts, which suggests possible political interference. There were 72 bailouts in which the government had no involvement, and this highlights the preferential treatment given in the case at hand.
In view of the above:
- 1.Will the Commission be opening an investigation into the bailout of Air Europe in order to establish whether it was in line with Article 2 TEU and State aid rules?
- 2.What steps is the Commission intending to take to ensure that exceptional State aid granted owing to the pandemic is in strict compliance with EU law?
Submitted: 15.5.2025