The European Commission confirmed to EUROPE on Wednesday 4 March that it would clarify “as soon as possible” the situation regarding the new job envisaged by former Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger in the Hungarian Science Policy Council. Mr Oettinger was appointed to this post at the beginning of February by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (see EUROPE 12306/1).
The Commission follows the rules of Article 11 of the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, which stipulates that “former Members shall inform the Commission with a minimum of two months’ notice of their intention to engage in a professional activity during a period of two years after they have ceased to hold office”.
For the purposes of this Code, ‘professional activity’ means any professional activity, whether gainful or not, which has no link with the activities of the European Union and which does not give rise to lobbying or advocacy vis-à-vis the Commission.
Mr Oettinger informed the Commission that he has not yet been active on this Science Policy Board. He also confirmed, again according to the institution, that he “would notify the activity once he had received more information on this function from the Hungarian Government”. “We received his official notification on 26 February 2020”, says the Commission.
The Code of Conduct specifies that the Commission examines the information provided in order to determine whether the nature of the proposed activity is compatible with Article 245 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
If said activity falls within the former member’s portfolio, it shall only take a decision after consulting the independent ethics committee. However, the independent ethics committee need not necessarily be consulted. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)