European Ombudsman asks Commission to publish details of its handling of senior staff move to law firm

The European Ombudsman has asked the European Commission to publish details about how it has handled the planned move by a former director in its competition department to the Brussels office of a US corporate law firm as a partner.

Any restrictions that have been placed on the activities of the former director to mitigate potential conflicts of interest should be made public without delay, said the Ombudsman. She noted that public information about the move came from the law firm and gives the impression that the Commission has allowed a senior official to work for a company that anticipates major benefits from their inside knowledge. 

The Ombudsman also noted that the Commission declined to give details about the individual’s professional experience despite the fact that the law firm itself has put out a press release detailing it.

The Ombudsman has previously criticised a tendency in the EU administration to underestimate the potential negative effects of staff moves to the private sector, often known as ‘revolving doors’, on EU policies and public trust.

In a recent inquiry into the issue, the Ombudsman asked the Commission to require former staff members taking up positions in the private sector to ask their new employer to make public the restrictions placed on their activities. She has also asked the Commission to temporarily forbid moves that pose risks that cannot be adequately mitigated by restrictions or when restrictions cannot be monitored or enforced. (source: ombudsman.europa.eu/ photo: freepik.com)