Revolving Door Watch

Click here to read more on our Revolving Doors campaign

RevolvingDoorWatch exposes how the EU institutions, including the European Commission, fail to take the revolving door seriously and fail to take effective action to block it. 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 leave office and go straight 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, and it is the responsibility of the EU institutions to ensure that this does not happen.

RevolvingDoorWatch provides information on EU officials who have gone through the revolving door into lobby or industry jobs. Lobbyists who have gone through the revolving door into jobs with the EU institutions are also featured. These cases raise significant questions about whether the Commission and other EU institutions such as the agencies are robust enough in recognising and acting upon the risk of conflicts of interest and we highlight the need for tough new rules to tackle the risk of conflicts of interest arising from the revolving door.

The European Commission is not transparent about revolving doors, nor does it pro-actively publish information about how it monitors the revolving door. Corporate Europe Observatory will keep this web page updated as we identify new cases or receive information about existing cases. Contact revolvingdoorwatch@corporateeurope.org if you have information about revolving door cases. 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 ban of at least two years on EU staff becoming lobbyists
New rules to regulate lobbyists who join EU institutions
Full transparency about all revolving door cases

RevolvingDoorWatch cases

Find out more about people who've taken a spin through the revolving door, and how the Commission failed to regulate the potential conflicts of interest. Try clicking on the column titles to sort by "Policy Area", "Nationality" etc.

Name	Nationality	Policy area	Former employer	Date	New employer
Jörgen Holmquist (new)	Swedish	Finance	European Commission, DG Internal Market and Services (MARKT), Director General DG MARKT	Oct 2012	Interel, “Senior advisory role” in financial services practice	More info
Martin Bresson (new)	Danish	Finance	Permanent Representation of Denmark, Counsellor on financial services during the Danish Presidency of the EU	Sep 2012	Fleishman-Hillard, Senior Policy Adviser to the financial services practice	More info
Eddy Wymeersch (new)	Belgian	Finance	Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) , Chairman	Sep 2012	Non‐executive director and senior advisor , Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME)	More info
Vincenzo Salvatore	Italy	Health/Medicines	European Medicines Agency, Head of Legal Service	Jun 2012	Sidley Austin LLP, Senior Counsel (European life sciences regulatory practice)	More info
Harald Boerekamp	Netherlands	Development	DG-ECHO (Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection), Administrator (contract agent)	May 2012	Interel European Affairs, Senior consultant	More info
Xavier Luria (updated)	Spain	Health/Medicines	European Medicines Agency, Head of Sector Safety and Efficacy of Medicines	Mar 2012	Self-employed. Consultant/ Freelance for: Trial Form Support, NDA Partners, Oryzon, Kinesys Consulting Ltd. Other activities for: Univerity California San Francisco, IESE Business School of the University of Navarra, ASINFARMA, Andorra Ministry of Health, Consultant	More info
Jean De Ruyt	Belgium	General	Belgium Permanent Representation to the EU, Permanent Representative + Chair of the Committee of Perm Reps, 2010 Belgian Presidency of the Council	Jan 2012	Covington & Burling LLP, Senior European policy advisor	More info
Tibor Kiss	Hungary	General	Hungary Permanent Representation to the EU, Ambassador and Permanent Representative	Nov 2011	PA Europe, Senior Political Adviser	More info
Ivan Rogers	Britain	Finance	Barclays Capital, Head of the Public Sector Industry Group, UK and Ireland	Oct 2011	No 10 Downing Street, UK Prime Minister's office, Prime Minister's Adviser on Europe and Global Issues + Head of European and Global Issues Secretariat	More info
Darren Ennis	Ireland	Foreign affairs	European External Action Service, Media and Strategic Communications adviser to Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security	Sep 2011	MHP Communications, Brussels, Director	More info
David Carlander	Sweden	Food	European Food Safety Authority, Scientific Officer working on guidance for assessing risk of nanotechnology in food	Sep 2011	Nanotechnology Industries Association, Director of Advocacy	More info
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)	Sep 2011	G+ Europe (lobby consultancy), Associate	More info
Mårten Westrup (updated)	Sweden	Energy/Climate	BusinessEurope, Adviser - Industrial Affairs Committee (climate change)	Jun 2011	DG Energy, Energy policy & monitoring of electricity, gas, coal and oil markets	More info
Isabel Ortiz	Spain	Food	DG Enterprise and Industry, Policy Officer, Food Industry Unit (for 3 years)	Mar 2011	FoodDrinkEurope (Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU), Director of Consumer Information, Diet and Health	More info
Pablo Asbo (updated)	Argentina	Competition	DG Competition (for 6 years), Case-handler	Mar 2011	Avisa Partners , Associate director on competition	More info
Bruno Dethomas	France	Foreign affairs	DG External Relations (now European External Action Service), Head of Eastern Partnership Taskforce	Mar 2011	G+ Europe (lobby consultancy), Independent associate	More info
Thomas Lönngren	Sweden	Health/Medicines	European Medicines Agency (for 10 years), Executive Director	Jan 2011	Pharma Executive Consulting Ltd + NDA Group, Strategic adviser	More info
Eline Post (updated)	Netherlands	Competition	DG Competition, Case handler (since 2005)	Dec 2010	Avisa Partners, Senior consultant on competition	More info
John Bruton (updated)	Ireland	Foreign affairs	DG External Relations (now European External Action Service), EU Ambassador to the US (for 5 years)	Dec 2010	Cabinet DN (lobby consultancy) + others, Senior adviser	More info
Laura Smillie		Food	European Food Information Council (for 5 years), Communications manager	May 2010	European Food Safety Authority, Communications directorate	More info
Petra Erler (updated)	Germany	Business/Industry	DG Enterprise, Head of Cabinet, Commissioner Verheugen (for 4 years)	Apr 2010	European Experience Company, Managing Director	More info
David Harley	Britain	General	European Parliament (since 1975), Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General of the Presidency	Apr 2010	Burson-Marsteller Brussels, Senior Adviser and now co-Chairman	More info
Mogens Peter Carl (updated)	Denmark	Environment	DG Environment, Director-General	Feb 2010	Kreab Gavin Anderson (lobby consultancy), Senior Adviser	More info
Mårten Westrup (updated)	Sweden	Energy/Climate	DG Enterprise (for 27 months), Policy officer and Legal officer	Dec 2009	BusinessEurope, Adviser - Industrial Affairs Committee (climate change)	More info
Erika Mann	Germany	IT	European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 10 years)	Dec 2009	Computer and Communications Industry Association, Executive Vice President	More info
Jean-Philippe Monod de Froideville (updated)	Netherlands	Competition	DG Competition, Personal adviser to Commissioner Neelie Kroes (for 2 years)	Nov 2009	Interel (lobby consultancy), Associate director for competition	More info
Derek Taylor (updated)	Britain	Energy/Climate	DG Transport and Energy, Energy adviser	Aug 2009	Burson-Marsteller (lobby consultancy) + others, Adviser on energy issues	More info
Magnus Ovilius (updated)	Sweden	Security	DG Justice, Freedom and Security, Head of Sector, Preparedness and Crisis Management	Dec 2008	Smiths Group, Senior Vice President Government Relations	More info
Marcus Lippold (updated)		Energy/Climate	ExxonMobil, Various since 1992	Oct 2008	DG Energy, International relations officer	More info
John Richardson	Britain	Maritime affairs	DG Maritime Affairs (for 35 years), Head of maritime policy taskforce	Sep 2008	Fipra (lobby consultancy), Special adviser - maritime policy and diplomacy	More info
Suzy Renckens	Belgium	Food	European Food Safety Authority, Head of GMO unit (for 5 years)	May 2008	Syngenta, Regional Manager for Biotechnology Regulatory Affairs	More info
Michel Petite	France	General	Legal Service - European Commission, Director-General (for 6 years)	Jan 2008	Clifford Chance, Of Counsel	More info
Luc Werring	Netherlands	Energy/Climate	DG Transport and Energy (for 23 years), Principal adviser to the Director-General	Dec 2007	Hill & Knowlton (lobby consultancy), Senior adviser on transport, energy and environment	More info

Recent blogs

Court ruling over privileged access for business in EU-India free trade talks

The EU's General Court has announced a date for the judgement in Corporate Europe Observatory's legal action, suing the European Commission for withholding information related to the EU’s free trade talks with India. The Commission is accused of discriminating in favour of corporate lobby groups and of violating the EU’s transparency rules. The judgement will be delivered on 7 June 2013.

Tackling tax evasion: will the Commission listen to anyone but industry?

As the European Commission closes the application process for its new Tax Good Governance Platform in the midst of more scandalous news of offshore tax avoidance and evasion, it needs to learn from past mistakes and not allow the Platform to become a lobby tool of the financial industry.

ALTER-EU en de strijd om data privacy

The battle for data privacy sets digital rights activists against what Commission Vice-President Reding describes as some of the most aggressive industry lobbying she has ever witnessed. Areas of ALTER-EU's work that are important in the fight for data privacy are the demand for a mandatory lobbying register to end lobbying secrecyand shutting the revolving door for employees between EU institutions and private lobbying firms.

Corporate Europe Observatory

Exposing the power of corporate lobbying in the EU

Revolving Door Watch

RevolvingDoorWatch cases

Rio+20

Climate and Energy

EU in crisis

The financial lobby

Global Europe

Lobbycracy

Revolving Doors

Agribusiness

EFSA

Court ruling over privileged access for business in EU-India free trade talks

Tackling tax evasion: will the Commission listen to anyone but industry?

ALTER-EU en de strijd om data privacy

ALTER-EU e la battaglia per la privacy

ALTER-EU en la batalla por la privacidad de datos

Corporate Europe Observatory

Revolving Door Watch

RevolvingDoorWatch cases

Rio+20

Climate and Energy

EU in crisis

The financial lobby

Global Europe

Lobbycracy

Revolving Doors

Agribusiness

EFSA

Search form

Corporate Europe Observatory