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 | Date | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Viviane Reding Luxembourg |
General | European Commission, Commissioner for Justice | Various, including Bertelsmann Foundation + Agfa-Gevaert, Member of board | Nov 2014 | (updated) |
| Karel De Gucht Belgium |
Trade | European Commission, European commissioner for trade | Proximus, Merit Capital NV, CVC Partners, ArcelorMittal, Member of the management board | (updated) | |
| Benita Ferrero-Waldner Austria |
General | European Commission, Commissioner for external relations and then trade | Munich Re, Gamesa Corporación Technologica, Alpine Holding, Supervisory board member | Feb 2010 | (updated) |
| Joao Pacheco Portugal |
Agriculture | European Commission, DG agriculture, Deputy director-general | JSPacheco-International Consulting, Allen F. Johnson Associates, Farm Europe, Various | Oct 2013 | (updated) |
| 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) |
| José Manuel Barroso Portugal |
General | European Commission, President (for 10 years) | Various including Goldman Sachs, European Business Summit + Bilderberg Conferences, | Nov 2014 | (updated) |
| Siim Kallas Estonia |
General | European Commission, European commissioner for transport (previously transparency) | Nortal, Consultant | May 2015 | (updated) |
| Marcus Lippold |
Energy/Climate | DG Energy, Advisor – EU International energy relations | MOL Group + Saudi Aramco, Various | Aug 2013 | (updated) |
| Jan Eric Frydman Sweden |
Trade | Ekenberg & Andersson, Lawyer & partner | DG Trade, Special adviser for trade policy and transatlantic affairs | Mar 2015 | (updated) |
| Arlene McCarthy UK |
General | European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 20 years) | Sovereign Strategy, Deputy chair for European strategy | Jul 2014 | (updated) |
| Marcus Lippold not known |
Energy/Climate | ExxonMobil, Various since 1992 | DG Energy, International relations officer | Oct 2008 | (updated) |
| Aleksandra Tomczak Poland |
Energy/Climate | World Coal Association, European specialist + Policy manager | European Commission, DG Energy, Policy coordinator EU Coal | Feb 2015 | (updated) |
| 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) |
| Janez Potočnik Slovenia |
Environment | European Commission, Commissioner for the environment | Forum for the future of agriculture + others, Chairman | Dec 2014 | (updated) |
| Tobias McKenney |
IT | European Commission, DG Internal Market, Policy advisor - copyright unit | Google, European intellectual property manager | Jun 2012 | (updated) |
| 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) |
| Maria Damanaki Greece |
Maritime affairs | European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries | The Nature Conservancy, Global managing director for oceans | Jan 2015 | (updated) |
| Corien Wortmann-Kool Netherlands |
Finance | European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 10 years) | Aegon NV + ABP, Supervisory board member | May 2014 | (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) |
| Chris Davies UK |
Energy/Climate | European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (for 15 years) | Chris Davies Ltd, Director | Dec 2014 | (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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Robert Madelin UK |
IT | European Political Strategy Center & DG CNECT, Senior Adviser on Innovation & Director General | Madelin Innovation, Director - Consultant | Oct 2016 | (new) |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 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 | |
| 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 | |
| George Lyon UK |
Agriculture | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 5 years) | Hume Brophy, Agri-business senior consultant | Jan 2015 | |
| Joe Borg Malta |
Maritime affairs | European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries | Fipra, Special advisor | Aug 2010 | |
| Laura Smillie not known |
Food | European Food Information Council (for 5 years), Communications manager | European Food Safety Authority, Communications directorate | May 2010 | |
| Brian Simpson UK |
European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 23 years) | Hume Brophy, Senior consultant | Jul 2014 | ||
| Michał Kamiński Poland |
General | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 8 years) | Prism Group, Partner | Oct 2014 | |
| 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 | |
| Petra Erler Germany |
Business/Industry | DG Enterprise, Head of Cabinet, Commissioner Verheugen (for 4 years) | European Experience Company, Managing Director | Apr 2010 | |
| 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 | |
| Magnus Ovilius Sweden |
Security | DG Justice, Freedom and Security, Head of Sector, Preparedness and Crisis Management | Smiths Group, Senior Vice President Government Relations | Dec 2008 | |
| Olle Schmidt Sweden |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 13 years) | Hume Brophy, Senior consultant | Apr 2015 | |
| Stefano Marino Italy |
Health/Medicines | Sigma-Tau, Director of corporate legal and intellectual property | European medicines agency, Head of legal department | Jun 2013 | |
| 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 | |
| Jörgen Holmquist Sweden |
Finance | DG Internal Market and Services (MARKT), Director General DG MARKT | Interel, “Senior advisory role” in financial services practice | Oct 2012 | |
| Thomas Lönngren Sweden |
Health/Medicines | European Medicines Agency (for 10 years), Executive Director | Pharma Executive Consulting Ltd + NDA Group, Strategic adviser | Jan 2011 | |
| Tibor Kiss Hungary |
General | Hungary Permanent Representation to the EU, Ambassador and Permanent Representative | PA Europe, Senior Political Adviser | Nov 2011 | |
| Carl Haglund Finland |
European Parliament + Finnish government, Member of European Parliament (for 3 years) + defence minister | Miltton group, Board member | Sep 2015 | ||
| Johan Gabrielsson Sweden |
Tobacco | DG Enlargement, Project Manager - EU Policies | Swedish Match, Public Affairs Director | Oct 2011 | |
| Jean-Philippe Monod de Froideville Netherlands |
Competition | DG Competition, Personal adviser to Commissioner Neelie Kroes (for 2 years) | Interel (lobby consultancy), Associate director for competition | Nov 2009 |