Formal complaint to President Juncker on Barroso, Kroes and De Gucht revolving door cases filed by ALTER-EU

[UPDATE – 8 November 2016 – On 2 November 2016 ALTER-EU responded to the Ad Hoc Ethics Committee opinion which said Barroso’s new role at Goldman Sachs International was not a breach of the rules. Read the statement here.] [UPDATE – 13 October 2016 – On 12 October 2016 ALTER-EU handed over to to Secretary-General Alexander Italianer the 63,000 signatures gathered through the WeMove petition Barroso, don’t sell our public interest to Goldman Sachs, demanding greater ethics and transparency and to put a stop to revolving doors.]

Madrid-Brussels, 30 September 2016 – The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) has launched a complaint to European Comission President Juncker about his handling of the revolving door moves of several former commissioners.

Specifically the letter:

» Criticises the delay in the Commission’s action regarding former President Barroso’s move to Goldman Sachs International

» Makes a formal complaint of maladministration regarding the Commission’s inaction on the job moves by ex-commissioners Neelie Kroes (Uber, Salesforce) and Karel De Gucht (ArcelorMittal)

» Demands urgent action from the Commission to revise the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, and to sanction Neelie Kroes for the revelations in the recent BahamasLeaks

» Makes a formal complaint of maladministration regarding the appointment of two Commission special advisers to the Ad-hoc Ethical Committee.

Speaking on behalf of ALTER-EU, Vicky Cann from Corporate Europe Observatory said:

“The Commission’s summer of scandals has shown that the revolving door between the EU institutions and the private sector is a real threat to the integrity of the institutions. And MEPs, civil society and citizens are quickly losing patience with the Commission’s approach to this issue.

“Action on Barroso’s move to Goldman Sachs International has been glacially slow, while we there has been no action whatsoever on Kroes’ and De Gucht’s revolving doors moves. At the same time, the July 2016 decision by the College of Commissioners to appoint two of its own special advisers to its ethics committee defies belief.

“When there are breaches of the rules or the treaties, swift sanctions must follow. Commissioners’ ethics rules must be overhauled and decision making on these matters must be taken out of the hands of the Commission and given to a truly independent body. Such steps are essential if the EU’s executive hopes to mend its battered reputation.”

The full complaint can be read here: