RevolvingDoorWatch
RevolvingDoorWatch is a database of commissioners, MEPs and officials who have gone through the revolving door into lobby or industry jobs. Lobbyists who have taken jobs with the EU institutions are also featured. These cases raise big questions about whether the EU institutions are robust enough in recognising and acting upon the risk of conflicts of interest.
Contact us if you have info about new cases or follow #revolvingdoors
More info on the revolving door problem
RevolvingDoorWatch exposes how the EU institutions - the commission, parliament, council and agencies - fail to take effective action to block the revolving door. Brussels is home to one of the highest concentrations of political power in the world and the revolving door is one of the most important ways in which lobbyists can influence the political agenda in Brussels. When European decision-makers – commissioners, MEPs, officials - leave office and go into lobby jobs, or when lobbyists join the EU institutions, the risk of conflicts of interest can be great, undermining democratic, public-interest decision-making. It is the responsibility of the EU institutions to ensure that this does not happen. The EU institutions are not transparent about revolving doors, nor do they pro-actively publish information about how they monitor the revolving door.
RevolvingDoorWatch is a contribution to the ALTER-EU campaign to block the revolving door!
CEO and ALTER-EU demand tough, new rules to block the revolving door including:
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A revised Code of Conduct for Commissioners to include a three year cooling-off period for Commissioners taking lobby jobs (or any other job which provokes the risk of a conflict of interest) and a revamped Commission ethics committee
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A revised Code of Conduct for MEPs to include robust rules to regulate the revolving door
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Further changes to the EU's Staff Regulations to better regulate the revolving door to include a two year cooling off period for officials; three years for the most senior officials
Name | Policy area | Former employer | New employer Sort ascending | Date | Last updated |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruno Dethomas France |
Foreign affairs | DG External Relations (now European External Action Service), Head of Eastern Partnership Taskforce | G+ Europe (lobby consultancy), Independent associate | Mar 2011 | |
Parvez Khan Britain |
Finance | UK Permanent Representation in Brussels (for 2 years), Financial attaché (on loan from UK Financial Services Authority where he worked for 5 years) | G+ Europe (lobby consultancy), Associate | Sep 2011 | |
Glyn Ford UK |
Foreign affairs | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 25 years) | G+ and Polint Ltd, Senior Adviser | Jul 2009 | |
Jonathan Hill UK |
Finance | European Commission, Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union | Freshfields, UBS, Aviva Insurance, Deloitte, Times Newspaper, Senior adviser, Director | Mar 2017 | (new) |
Janez Potočnik Slovenia |
Environment | European Commission, Commissioner for the environment | Forum for the future of agriculture + others, Chairman | Dec 2014 | (updated) |
Isabel Ortiz Spain |
Food | DG Enterprise and Industry, Policy Officer, Food Industry Unit (for 3 years) | FoodDrinkEurope (Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU), Director of Consumer Information, Diet and Health | Mar 2011 | |
Matt Hinde UK |
Energy/Climate | UK government's Department of Energy and Climate Change, Head of EU Strategy | FleishmanHillard, Senior Vice-President and Head of its energy practice | Oct 2015 | (new) |
Martin Bresson Denmark |
Finance | Permanent Representation of Denmark, Counsellor on financial services during the Danish Presidency of the EU | Fleishman-Hillard, Senior Policy Adviser to the financial services practice | Sep 2012 | |
John Richardson Britain |
Maritime affairs | DG Maritime Affairs (for 35 years), Head of maritime policy taskforce | Fipra (lobby consultancy), Special adviser - maritime policy and diplomacy | Sep 2008 | |
Joe Borg Malta |
Maritime affairs | European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries | Fipra, Special advisor | Aug 2010 | |
Hervé Jouanjean France |
General | European commission, DG budget, Director-general | Fidal, Of counsel | May 2014 | |
Piia-Noora Kauppi Finland |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 9 years) | Federation of Finnish Financial Services (+ now Chair of European Banking Federation), Managing director | Jan 2009 | |
Stefano Marino Italy |
Health/Medicines | Sigma-Tau, Director of corporate legal and intellectual property | European medicines agency, Head of legal department | Jun 2013 | |
Laura Smillie not known |
Food | European Food Information Council (for 5 years), Communications manager | European Food Safety Authority, Communications directorate | May 2010 | |
Barbara Gallani |
Food | Food and Drink Federation, Director Policy and Sustainability and Chief Scientist | European Food Safety Authority, Head of the Communications and External Relations Department | May 2016 | (new) |
Elizabeth Kuiper Netherlands |
Health/Medicines | Permanent representation to the Netherlands, Attaché on health, pharmaceuticals and medical devices | European federation of pharmaceutical industries and associations (EFPIA) , Director of European affairs | May 2014 | |
Nikos Lavranos Netherlands |
Trade | Dutch ministry of economic affairs, agriculture & innovation, Senior policy advisor on trade | European federation for investment law and arbitration (EFILA), Secretary-general | Jul 2014 | |
Günter Verheugen Germany |
General | European Commission, Commissioner for enterprise and industry | European Experience Company + roles at RBS Germany, FleishmanHillard and others, Non-executive managing director (unpaid) and 50 per cent shareholder | Apr 2010 | |
Petra Erler Germany |
Business/Industry | DG Enterprise, Head of Cabinet, Commissioner Verheugen (for 4 years) | European Experience Company, Managing Director | Apr 2010 | |
Eoin O'Malley Ireland |
Trade | BusinessEurope, Senior adviser on international relations | European Commission, DG Trade, Policy officer | Jun 2010 | |
Aleksandra Tomczak Poland |
Energy/Climate | World Coal Association, European specialist + Policy manager | European Commission, DG Energy, Policy coordinator EU Coal | Feb 2015 | (updated) |
Ann Mettler German-Swedish |
General | The Lisbon Council + Global Agenda Council, Executive director + Vice-Chair | European Commission, Head of the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC) | Dec 2014 | |
Edgar Meister Germany |
Finance | DWS Investment (investment branch of Deutsche Bank), Member of the supervisory board | European Central Bank, Member of the Administrative Board of Review | Nov 2014 | |
Fanny-Pomme Langue France |
Energy/Climate | DG Energy, Policy Officer | European Biomass Association (AEBIOM), Policy Director | Jan 2013 | |
Jan Eric Frydman Sweden |
Trade | Ekenberg & Andersson, Lawyer & partner | DG Trade, Special adviser for trade policy and transatlantic affairs | Mar 2015 | (updated) |
Mårten Westrup Sweden |
Energy/Climate | BusinessEurope, Adviser - Industrial Affairs Committee (climate change) | DG Energy, Energy policy & monitoring of electricity, gas, coal and oil markets | Jun 2011 | |
Marcus Lippold not known |
Energy/Climate | ExxonMobil, Various since 1992 | DG Energy, International relations officer | Oct 2008 | (updated) |
Louis Michel Belgium |
Finance | European Commission, Commissioner for development and humanitarian aid | Credimo, Board member | Jun 2010 | |
Jean De Ruyt Belgium |
Trade | Belgium Permanent Representation to the EU, Permanent Representative + Chair of the Committee of Perm Reps, 2010 Belgian Presidency of the Council | Covington & Burling LLP, Senior European policy advisor | Jan 2012 | |
Erika Mann Germany |
IT | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 10 years) | Computer and Communications Industry Association, and now Facebook, Executive Vice President | Dec 2009 | (updated) |
Michel Petite France |
Tobacco | Legal Service - European Commission, Director-General (for 6 years) | Clifford Chance, Of Counsel | Jan 2008 | |
Chris Davies UK |
Energy/Climate | European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (for 15 years) | Chris Davies Ltd, Director | Dec 2014 | (new) |
John Bruton Ireland |
Foreign affairs | DG External Relations (now European External Action Service), EU Ambassador to the US (for 5 years) | Cabinet DN (lobby consultancy) + others, Senior adviser | Dec 2010 | |
John Purvis UK |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 15 years) | cabinet DN, Senior advisor and chairman of Financial Future | ||
Mårten Westrup Sweden |
Energy/Climate | DG Enterprise (for 27 months), Policy officer and Legal officer | BusinessEurope, Adviser - Industrial Affairs Committee (climate change) | Oct 2010 | |
David Harley Britain |
General | European Parliament (since 1975), Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General of the Presidency | Burson-Marsteller Brussels, Senior Adviser and now co-Chairman | Apr 2010 | |
Derek Taylor Britain |
Energy/Climate | DG Transport and Energy, Energy adviser | Burson-Marsteller (lobby consultancy) + others, Adviser on energy issues | Aug 2009 | |
Meglena Kuneva Bulgaria |
Finance | European Commission, Commissioner for consumer protection | BNP Paribas, Non-executive member of the board | May 2010 | |
Neelie Kroes Netherlands |
General | European Commission, Commissioner for the digital agenda | Bank of America Merrill Lynch + Salesforce + Uber, Special adviser + board directorships | Mar 2015 | (updated) |
Graham Watson UK |
General | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) | Bagehot Ltd, Founder and managing director | Oct 2014 | |
Pablo Asbo Argentina |
Competition | DG Competition (for 6 years), Case-handler | Avisa Partners , Associate director on competition | Mar 2011 | |
Eline Post Netherlands |
Competition | DG Competition, Case handler (since 2005) | Avisa Partners, Senior consultant on competition | Dec 2010 | |
Per Hellström Sweden |
IT | European commission, DG competition, Head of mergers for environment and energy | Apple Benelux BV, Senior Director Government and Regulatory Affairs, Competition Law and Policy in the EMEIA region | Feb 2014 | (updated) |
Peter Skinner UK |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) | Allianz SE, Senior Advisor on EU/International relations. | ||
Corien Wortmann-Kool Netherlands |
Finance | European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 10 years) | Aegon NV + ABP, Supervisory board member | May 2014 | (updated) |