EU Transport Chief accused of conflict of interest

EU Transport Commisioner Antonio Tajanai has been accused of a conflict of interest as a result of spending six hours aboard a Ryanair aircraft in the company of the airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary. The whistle stop tour took place last week, routing Dublin - Knock - Kerry - Dublin. At each stop on the trip, O'Leary and Commissioner Tajani held a press conference in support of  a 'Yes' vote in this week's referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. O'Leary was his usual frank self during the trip, at one point mentioning that the Ryanair - Aer Lingus merger was the only airline deal turned down by the Commission on competition grounds in the past thirty years.
Although Ryanair and the EU Commission make strange bedfellows, the Commission were quick to point out that no discussions took place between O'Leary and the Commissioner on their longstanding (hostile) relationship nor was there any lobbying by Ryanair in relation to the Aer Lingus takeover. According to a Commission spokesperson, any mention of Aer Lingus was in front of the press, adding that the Commissioner regularly meets with airline heads. Corporate Europe Observatory, a Brussels based lobbying watchdog remains unimpressed however saying that the there was considerable conflict of interest for Commissioner Tajani by allowing himself to be hosted by an airline that continues to have disputes with the EU Commission. Pictured above in the copyright picture by Michael Kelly, Ryanair B737 EI-EFP is seen in dublin on Friday last with it's pro Lisbon 'Ryanair says Yes to Europe' billboard titles.