This article was published in partnership with Czech investigative media outlet Deník Referendum

A Czech MEP earning €120,000 a year in his second job as an automotive consultant is facing fresh concerns over the “unacceptable” conflicts of interest involved in his latest appointment.

Filip Turek was elected to the European Parliament in 2024 as the lead candidate of Czechia’s hard-right oath and motorists alliance, which lobbies for cheaper fuel and against a proposed ban on petrol and diesel powered cars. 

A prominent social media influencer and vintage car collector in Czechia, Turek has also pledged to “save” the combustion engine. 

DeSmog and Deník Referendum can now report that Turek has been selected by his fellow MEPs as a representative of the Parliament’s industry committee (ITRE) – on a key EU file that could potentially have a major impact on the sector he is paid €10,000 a month to represent.

The former racing driver’s earnings from his freelance automotive consultancy almost match his base MEP salary, making him one of Parliament’s highest outside earners.

In a document submitted to the European Parliament last Tuesday, Turek declared there was no conflict of interest regarding his appointment as rapporteur for opinion. Turek did not respond to DeSmog and Deník Referendum’s questions about the nature of the role.

With a remit of “simplifying and strengthening” the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) file – a border tax which aims to put a price on carbon imports – Turek will have a critical role in writing reports, liaising with industry, and presenting the industry committee’s views to the European Parliament.

CBAM has so far been a major lobbying target of the automotive and raw materials sectors, which have called for delays and changes on its scope to exempt 90 percent of importers from duties.

A report by the global consultancy KPMG says the proposed expansion of the CBAM scheme to all industrial goods would have a “major impact” on the automotive industry. In particular, the authors raise concerns about CBAM’s impact on Germany, where the automotive industry has by far the highest turnover of any domestic sector (€411 billion in 2021).

A full review of CBAM – which will assess the expansion of the policy tool to new sectors – was announced in February by the European Commission and is due to be subject to a full review later this year.

Turek’s paid side job is listed on his parliamentary records as “consultancy in the field of the automotive industry – Freelancer”. He did not respond to DeSmog and Denik Referendum’s requests for further clarification on the nature of his business activities, or to questions about his clients.

“Giving Turek this role is a disaster for the integrity of EU climate policy,” said Olivier Hoedeman, a campaigner from the Brussels-based Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO).

The appointment demonstrates “completely unacceptable conflicts of interest,” Hoedeman added. “These roles cannot be combined without unacceptable risks of undue influence.” 

Mission to Munich

CBAM forms a core part of the Green Deal, a package of EU policies aimed at reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

Turek has regularly attacked the Green Deal, describing it prior to his June 2024 election as “one of the biggest scams in history”. Since becoming an MEP, he has continued to criticise the strategy, and opposed some of the specific climate measures – including the EU’s methane regulation – that would help achieve decarbonisation. 

A separate declaration submitted by Turek’s office last week also shows the MEP plans to take part in an official ITRE delegation to Munich, Germany, between 14 and 16 April. According to minutes from a January committee meeting, the “mission” will focus on the automotive industry, as well as “research, aerospace, startups, energy”. Turek declared no conflict of interest.

In a statement to Deník Referendum and DeSmog, ITRE’s press spokesperson Baptiste Chatain said the mission would include a visit to German carmaker BMW’s research and development (R&D) centre.

“The goal of the mission is to examine the links between academic research, innovation and commercial applications, and to look into R&D activities by industry,” Chatain said, adding: “Please note that missions and delegations are necessary and justified. They are part of regular parliamentary work.”

According to the EU Integrity Watch platform, Turek has held multiple meetings with car industry lobbyists during his nine months in office – including with representatives of Skoda, Korea’s Denso, Japan’s Mazda, and Czech and EU-wide automotive associations.

Turek is also one of several European politicians to have recently met with the Heritage Foundation, the U.S. ultra-conservative group that produced the Project 2025 blueprint to a second Donald Trump presidency. The subject of the meetings – held in January while Turek was in Washington D.C. for Trump’s inauguration – was on “EU-US Relations and automotive sector policies”. 

Daniel Freund, a representative of the Greens in the European Parliament, said a clear dividing line needs to be drawn between parliamentary services and outside interests.

“Members of the European Parliament should not offer consulting services – especially not on topics that we are dealing with in our legislative work,” he said. “MEPs should not be for hire or sale.”

Raphaël Kergueno, senior policy officer at Transparency International EU, called for an “urgent reform” of the European Parliament’s ethical standards.

“When it comes to conflicts of interest, the European Parliament’s voluntary system of disclosure raises more questions than answers,” he said. “To dispel any doubts, it should ban MEPs from engaging in side activities, paid or unpaid, with organisations that are seeking to influence EU policymaking.”

Additional research and reporting by Daniel Kotecký

UPDATE (01/04/25): This article has been updated to include a statement from the ITRE committee, in response to Deník Referendum and DeSmog’s request for comment.