The European Commission has said it refuses to comply with the request made by European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly to re-assess the matter of José Manuel Barroso’s “pantouflage” (when high level civil servants work in private enterprise) (see EUROPE 11982).
The former president of the European Commission was taken on by Goldman Sachs and is suspected of lobbying Community institutions when he had pledged not to do so.
In its responses published on Tuesday 8 May by the European Ombudsman, the Commission points out, in particular, that there is “no reason” either to request a second opinion from the independent ethics committee or for the Commission to take a new decision on this matter.
In light of the opinion of the ethics committee, the Commission had felt that there was no formal decision to be taken on the appointment. It had, however, taken the political decision to extend the period of notification for former presidents from 18 months to three years. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)