Brussels, 19/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Ombudsman has confirmed that he opened an investigation on 12 March, into the re-appointment, until the middle of December 2012, of former senior European official Michel Petite to the European Commission ethics committee. Petite took up a position with one of the biggest consultancy companies in Brussels after working for the EU. This investigation was opened following a complaint from Lobby Control, Corporate Accountability International and Corporate Europe Observatory, last February. The European Ombudsman has called on the president of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, to answer allegations from complainants according to which, the re-appointment of Petite to its own ethics committee (whose integrity and transparency are essential), creates a problem. The Commission's ethics committee has the task of providing opinions on the activities exercised by commissioners after they have finished working for the European institutions. The complainants consider that Michel Petite “went over to the other side” and represents clients like Philip Morris International and the owner of Swedish Match, which was at the source of the complaint against the former commissioner for health, John Dalli. They believe that doubts exist about Petite's independence and credibility when it comes to assessing potential conflicts of interest. They also add that the fact that he works for a cabinet of lawyers that provides lobbying services but which ignores the transparency register, raises questions regarding “an irreproachable professional trajectory in the field of ethics and lobbying”. At the end of his investigation, the European Ombudsman will decide whether the Commission should dismiss Petite. It may also suggest to the Commission that more transparency is required with regard to the way in which its transparency committee operates by publishing, for example, the curriculum vitae of its members and the declarations of interests online, and make recommendations for a long-term improvement to the rules on the appointment of committee members. (IL/transl.fl)