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 Sort descending | Former employer | New employer | Date | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Simpson UK |
European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 23 years) | Hume Brophy, Senior consultant | Jul 2014 | ||
| Carl Haglund Finland |
European Parliament + Finnish government, Member of European Parliament (for 3 years) + defence minister | Miltton group, Board member | Sep 2015 | ||
| John Purvis UK |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 15 years) | cabinet DN, Senior advisor and chairman of Financial Future | ||
| 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) |
| 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 | |
| Emilie Turunen Denmark |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European parliament (for 5 years) | Nykredit, Head of public affairs | Sep 2014 | |
| Charlie McCreevy Ireland |
Finance | European Commission, Commissioner for internal market and services | Ryanair, BNY Mellon, Sentenial and others, Non-executive director | Mar 2010 | |
| Corien Wortmann-Kool Netherlands |
Finance | European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 10 years) | Aegon NV + ABP, Supervisory board member | May 2014 | (updated) |
| Meglena Kuneva Bulgaria |
Finance | European Commission, Commissioner for consumer protection | BNP Paribas, Non-executive member of the board | May 2010 | |
| 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 | |
| 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) |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Olle Schmidt Sweden |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 13 years) | Hume Brophy, Senior consultant | Apr 2015 | |
| Jörgen Holmquist Sweden |
Finance | DG Internal Market and Services (MARKT), Director General DG MARKT | Interel, “Senior advisory role” in financial services practice | Oct 2012 | |
| Louis Michel Belgium |
Finance | European Commission, Commissioner for development and humanitarian aid | Credimo, Board member | Jun 2010 | |
| Peter Skinner UK |
Finance | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) | Allianz SE, Senior Advisor on EU/International relations. | ||
| 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 | |
| Ivan Rogers Britain |
Finance | Barclays Capital, Head of the Public Sector Industry Group, UK and Ireland | UK Government, UK Permanent Representative to the European Union (from Nov 2013); previously Prime Minister's Adviser on Europe and Global Issues (to Nov 2013) | Oct 2011 | |
| 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 | |
| Vincenzo Salvatore Italy |
Health/Medicines | European Medicines Agency, Head of Legal Service | Sidley Austin LLP, Senior Counsel (European life sciences regulatory practice) | Jun 2012 | |
| Xavier Luria Spain |
Health/Medicines | European Medicines Agency, Head of Sector Safety and Efficacy of Medicines | 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 | Mar 2012 | |
| Stefano Marino Italy |
Health/Medicines | Sigma-Tau, Director of corporate legal and intellectual property | European medicines agency, Head of legal department | Jun 2013 | |
| Thomas Lönngren Sweden |
Health/Medicines | European Medicines Agency (for 10 years), Executive Director | Pharma Executive Consulting Ltd + NDA Group, Strategic adviser | Jan 2011 | |
| 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 | |
| Harald Boerekamp Netherlands |
Development | DG-ECHO (Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection), Administrator (contract agent) | Interel European Affairs, Senior consultant | May 2012 | |
| 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) |
| David Carlander Sweden |
Food | European Food Safety Authority, Scientific Officer working on guidance for assessing risk of nanotechnology in food | Nanotechnology Industries Association, Director of Advocacy | Sep 2011 | |
| Laura Smillie not known |
Food | European Food Information Council (for 5 years), Communications manager | European Food Safety Authority, Communications directorate | May 2010 | |
| 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 | |
| Suzy Renckens Belgium |
Food | European Food Safety Authority, Head of GMO unit (for 5 years) | Syngenta, Regional Manager for Biotechnology Regulatory Affairs | May 2008 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Glyn Ford UK |
Foreign affairs | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 25 years) | G+ and Polint Ltd, Senior Adviser | Jul 2009 | |
| 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 | MHP Communications, Brussels, Director | Sep 2011 | |
| Herman Van Rompuy Belgium |
Business/Industry | European Council, President | TomorrowLab Advisory Board + European Policy Centre, Chairman | Jan 2015 | |
| Petra Erler Germany |
Business/Industry | DG Enterprise, Head of Cabinet, Commissioner Verheugen (for 4 years) | European Experience Company, Managing Director | Apr 2010 | |
| 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) |
| Serge Abou France |
Business/Industry | DG External Relations (now European External Action Service), EU Ambassador to China | Huawei, Adviser | Jul 2013 | |
| Silvana Koch-Mehrin Germany |
Trade | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 10 years) | gplus Europe, Senior policy adviser | Nov 2014 | |
| Eoin O'Malley Ireland |
Trade | BusinessEurope, Senior adviser on international relations | European Commission, DG Trade, Policy officer | Jun 2010 | |
| 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 | |
| Karel De Gucht Belgium |
Trade | European Commission, European commissioner for trade | Proximus, Merit Capital NV, CVC Partners, ArcelorMittal, Member of the management board | (updated) | |
| 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 | |
| Jan Eric Frydman Sweden |
Trade | Ekenberg & Andersson, Lawyer & partner | DG Trade, Special adviser for trade policy and transatlantic affairs | Mar 2015 | (updated) |
| Eline Post Netherlands |
Competition | DG Competition, Case handler (since 2005) | Avisa Partners, Senior consultant on competition | Dec 2010 | |
| 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 | |
| Pablo Asbo Argentina |
Competition | DG Competition (for 6 years), Case-handler | Avisa Partners , Associate director on competition | Mar 2011 | |
| Derek Taylor Britain |
Energy/Climate | DG Transport and Energy, Energy adviser | Burson-Marsteller (lobby consultancy) + others, Adviser on energy issues | Aug 2009 | |
| Luc Werring Netherlands |
Energy/Climate | DG Transport and Energy (for 23 years), Principal adviser to the Director-General | Hill & Knowlton (lobby consultancy), Senior adviser on transport, energy and environment | Dec 2007 |