Revolving doors

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:

  • 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

  • A revised Code of Conduct for MEPs to include robust rules to regulate the revolving door

  • 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 Date Sort ascending Last updated
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)
Robert Madelin
UK
IT European Political Strategy Center & DG CNECT, Senior Adviser on Innovation & Director General Madelin Innovation, Director - Consultant Oct 2016 (new)
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)
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)
Carl Haglund
Finland
European Parliament + Finnish government, Member of European Parliament (for 3 years) + defence minister Miltton group, Board member Sep 2015
Siim Kallas
Estonia
General European Commission, European commissioner for transport (previously transparency) Nortal, Consultant May 2015 (updated)
Olle Schmidt
Sweden
Finance European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 13 years) Hume Brophy, Senior consultant Apr 2015
Jan Eric Frydman
Sweden
Trade Ekenberg & Andersson, Lawyer & partner DG Trade, Special adviser for trade policy and transatlantic affairs Mar 2015 (updated)
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)
Aleksandra Tomczak
Poland
Energy/Climate World Coal Association, European specialist + Policy manager European Commission, DG Energy, Policy coordinator EU Coal Feb 2015 (updated)
George Lyon
UK
Agriculture European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 5 years) Hume Brophy, Agri-business senior consultant Jan 2015
Maria Damanaki
Greece
Maritime affairs European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries The Nature Conservancy, Global managing director for oceans Jan 2015 (updated)
Herman Van Rompuy
Belgium
Business/Industry European Council, President TomorrowLab Advisory Board + European Policy Centre, Chairman Jan 2015
Connie Hedegaard
Denmark
Energy/Climate European Commission, Commissioner for climate action 2010-2014 KR Foundation, Danfoss, Volkswagen + other roles, Various (some unpaid) Jan 2015 (updated)
Algirdas Šemeta
Lithuania
Business/Industry European Commission, Commissioner for taxation and customs union, audit and anti-fraud Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Initiative , Ukrainian Business Ombudsman Dec 2014 (new)
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
Chris Davies
UK
Energy/Climate European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (for 15 years) Chris Davies Ltd, Director Dec 2014 (new)
Janez Potočnik
Slovenia
Environment European Commission, Commissioner for the environment Forum for the future of agriculture + others, Chairman Dec 2014 (updated)
Viviane Reding
Luxembourg
General European Commission, Commissioner for Justice Various, including Bertelsmann Foundation + Agfa-Gevaert, Member of board Nov 2014 (updated)
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
Martin Callanan
UK
Environment European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 15 years) Symphony Environmental Technologies, Consultant Nov 2014
José Manuel Barroso
Portugal
General European Commission, President (for 10 years) Various including Goldman Sachs, European Business Summit + Bilderberg Conferences, Nov 2014 (updated)
Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Germany
Trade European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 10 years) gplus Europe, Senior policy adviser Nov 2014
Michał Kamiński
Poland
General European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 8 years) Prism Group, Partner Oct 2014
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Denmark
Security North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Secretary General Rasmussen Global, Consultant Oct 2014
Holger Krahmer
Germany
General European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 10 years) Opel Group, Director European affairs public policy and government relations Oct 2014
Graham Watson
UK
General European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) Bagehot Ltd, Founder and managing director Oct 2014
Fiona Hall
UK
Energy/Climate European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 10 years) Rockwool International A/S (Hall's major consultancy client), Senior policy advisor to its energy efficiency team Sep 2014
Emilie Turunen
Denmark
Finance European Parliament, Member of European parliament (for 5 years) Nykredit, Head of public affairs Sep 2014
Sharon Bowles
UK
Finance European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 9 years) London Stock Exchange Group plc + Prime Collateralised Securities initiative (PCS) + Afore Consulting, Non-executive director + Senior Strategic Counsel Aug 2014 (updated)
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
Brian Simpson
UK
European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 23 years) Hume Brophy, Senior consultant Jul 2014
Arlene McCarthy
UK
General European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 20 years) Sovereign Strategy, Deputy chair for European strategy Jul 2014 (updated)
Corien Wortmann-Kool
Netherlands
Finance European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 10 years) Aegon NV + ABP, Supervisory board member May 2014 (updated)
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
Hervé Jouanjean
France
General European commission, DG budget, Director-general Fidal, Of counsel May 2014
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 Faross
Germany
General DG Energy, Acting deputy director general UEAPME (Union Européenne de l’Artisanat et des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises) + Kaesler & Kollegen, Secretary-general + adviser Jan 2014 (updated)
Christian Thimann
Germany
Finance European Central Bank, Counsellor to the President Group Head of Strategy & Public Affairs + member of AXA’s Executive Committee , AXA Jan 2014
Joao Pacheco
Portugal
Agriculture European Commission, DG agriculture, Deputy director-general JSPacheco-International Consulting, Allen F. Johnson Associates, Farm Europe, Various Oct 2013 (updated)
Marcus Lippold
Energy/Climate DG Energy, Advisor – EU International energy relations MOL Group + Saudi Aramco, Various Aug 2013 (updated)
Serge Abou
France
Business/Industry DG External Relations (now European External Action Service), EU Ambassador to China Huawei, Adviser Jul 2013
Stefano Marino
Italy
Health/Medicines Sigma-Tau, Director of corporate legal and intellectual property European medicines agency,  Head of legal department Jun 2013
Fanny-Pomme Langue
France
Energy/Climate DG Energy, Policy Officer European Biomass Association (AEBIOM), Policy Director Jan 2013
Jörgen Holmquist
Sweden
Finance DG Internal Market and Services (MARKT), Director General DG MARKT Interel, “Senior advisory role” in financial services practice Oct 2012
Eddy Wymeersch
Belgium
Finance Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) , Chairman Non‐executive director and senior advisor , Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) Sep 2012
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
Tobias McKenney
IT European Commission, DG Internal Market, Policy advisor - copyright unit Google, European intellectual property manager Jun 2012 (updated)
Vincenzo Salvatore
Italy
Health/Medicines European Medicines Agency, Head of Legal Service Sidley Austin LLP, Senior Counsel (European life sciences regulatory practice) Jun 2012
Harald Boerekamp
Netherlands
Development DG-ECHO (Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection), Administrator (contract agent) Interel European Affairs, Senior consultant May 2012