MEP Alvise Pérez (NI) has submitted a written parliamentary question to the European Commission on 24 May 2026, raising concerns about the Spanish government's rescue of Plus Ultra airline and the potential conflict of interest involving José Luis Escrivá, now governor of the Bank of Spain. The question targets the integrity of EU State aid controls and the credibility of national central bank appointments.
Pérez cites press reports based on a Spanish Audiencia Nacional order in the Plus Ultra case, which allegedly refers to a meeting on 7 September 2020 between former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Escrivá, then Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. According to the MEP, Plus Ultra obtained social security certificates stating it had no overdue debts before receiving EUR 53 million from Spain's SEPI solvency fund, despite later documentation indicating a pre-existing debt of EUR 451,954.79 and a subsequent deferral.
The MEP argues that this is no longer a domestic political controversy but affects confidence in State aid controls, institutional independence, and the credibility of a national central bank in the Eurosystem. Without presuming criminal liability, Pérez states that the fact that the current governor of the Bank of Spain previously led the ministry whose administration is mentioned in a corruption-related judicial investigation raises concerns about conflicts of interest, transparency, and due diligence.
Concrete asks and policy direction
Pérez's question contains three concrete requests to the Commission: 1. Will the Commission ask Spain whether all eligibility conditions and declarations used to grant State aid to Plus Ultra were accurate and compatible with EU State aid rules? 2. Will the Commission assess whether new judicial information requires a review of Spain's control mechanisms for SEPI aid? 3. Will the Commission evaluate EU-level standards for national central bank governors on conflicts of interest and cooling-off periods?
The question signals a push for stricter oversight of national State aid decisions and for EU-level harmonisation of ethics rules for central bank governors. It reflects a cleavage between national sovereignty in granting aid and EU supervision of State aid integrity, as well as between institutional independence and accountability for potential conflicts of interest.
Expected follow-up
The Commission is required to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it considers the Plus Ultra case a matter for EU State aid enforcement, whether it will request information from Spain, and whether it sees a need for EU-level standards on central bank governors' conflicts of interest. The response could signal the Commission's appetite for tightening State aid controls or for leaving such matters to national authorities.
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