Henrik Hololei

Henrik Hololei (born 1 April 1970) is an Estonian civil servant and former politician. He served as director-general for mobility and transport of the European Commission (DG MOVE) from 2015 to 2023, then as a senior adviser (hors classe) in the commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). He previously served as Estonia's minister of economic affairs in the second cabinet led by Mart Laar.

Following revelations in the press in 2023 and 2024 about gifts received from the Qatar while a transport deal was being negotiated with the country, investigations were opened against Hololei by various European bodies, including the European Commission itself. In January 2026, he was fired from the European Commission after he was found to have breached the institution's rules with regards to "conflicts of interest, gift acceptance and disclosures".

Early life and education Hololei was born in Tallinn. He graduated in economics from the Tallinn University of Technology and undertook additional studies at Aarhus University.

From 15 October 2001, he served as Minister of Economic Affairs in Mart Laar's government, which was in office until 28 January 2002.

In January 2026, after years of investigations, Hololei was fired from the European Commission for having breached the institution's rules in relation to the Qatari affair. Reuters reported that the European Ombudsman sought clarification from the commission about the authorisation and oversight of such travel, noting the risk that the public would not distinguish between a director-general and negotiating staff.

The European Commission subsequently tightened its rules on travel paid for by third parties, citing the need to prevent conflicts of interest and perceptions of undue influence.

In 2024, following reporting by French newspaper Libération about supposed exchanges of confidential information on the Qatar aviation deal in exchange for Qatari gifts for himself and others, the EU's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) opened a probe,

In May 2025, the European Commission also opened an internal disciplinary investigation in connection with alleged breaches of conflict-of-interest and transparency rules, citing documents described by Politico.

Honours Hololei's official CV lists state decorations from Estonia, Finland, France, and Latvia.