DutchNews, October 28,
2015
The Netherlands’ former EU
commissioner Neelie Kroes is one of four commissioners whose current job could
run foul of conflict of interest rules, according to Brussels watchdogs
Corporate Europe Observatory and Lobby Control.
Nine former commissioners now
have jobs with commercial sector companies, ‘leading to fears of an unhealthily
close relationship between the EU’s executive body and private interests,’ the
organisations say.
Eight of those jobs, done by four different commissioners,
could be considered to involve a conflict of interest and ‘should have been
rejected outright’, the watchdogs say.
This includes the former Dutch
competition and digital agenda commissioner Kroes, who is now an advisor to
Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Influence
The current commission should not have
approved these appointments, the groups say. They are also concerned that
former commission chairman José Manuel Barroso is now working as a lobbyist and
has some 20 different jobs.
Socialist MP Dennis de Jong called pointed out that
current commission chairman Jean-Claude Juncker had said the highest possible
ethical standards would be applied when assessing new jobs.
‘It is hardly
surprising that European citizens have no faith in European institutions,’ he
is quoted as saying by the Telegraaf. ‘The influence of the big corporate
lobbies goes right to the top. The last word has not been said about
this.
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