In order to respond to the criticism of the members of the European Parliament over the Commission's inaction in putting an end to conflict of interest regarding certain former commissioners (see EUROPE 11638), European Commissioner for Financial Affairs and Taxation Pierre Moscovici said in Strasbourg on Tuesday 4 October that the Juncker Commission would shed light on behaviour of its former members that breaches the rules or that would have breached the rules in force, and take commensurate measures.
The Commission is still awaiting the opinions of the ad hoc ethics committee on the highly controversial appointment of José Manuel Barroso to the American merchant bank Goldman Sachs and on the failure of Neelie Kroes, the former commissioner for competition and the digital agenda, to declare her interests in a company in the Bahamas, a notorious tax haven.
President of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker asked for explanations at the appropriate moment and has consulted the ad hoc ethics committee on both cases, Moscovici stressed (see EUROPE 11621). He went on to say that once the opinions requested of the ad hoc ethics committee were available, the Commission would discuss the matter and decide on the appropriate measures to take. He said that decisions of the ethics committee were always respected and that the Commission would certainly act accordingly. Juncker has undertaken to keep the European Parliament fully informed of the next steps with each dossier, but the right of the individuals in question to enforce their legal rights must also be respected.
Moscovici reiterated the Commission's determination to apply and enforce the strictest standards of political and ethical behaviour in the exercise of its members' responsibilities.
Avoiding confusion. The commissioner called on the MEPs to avoid confusing this matter with any other, and to avoid attacks or the risk of weakening an institution in the name of certain conduct. He said that he hoped that the messenger would not get shot in this case, as the European Commission, which is the Parliament's interlocutor on the subject of the fight against tax evasion and tax fraud, does more than many others, not only in this field but also in upholding ethics and ensuring the ethical comportment of its members and former members. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)