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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Marcus Lippold |
Energy/Climate | DG Energy, Advisor – EU International energy relations | MOL Group + Saudi Aramco, Various | Aug 2013 | (updated) |
| Poppy Kalesi Greece |
Energy/Climate | DG Energy, Programme manager | Statoil, EU Regulatory Affairs Advisor (then Senior Consultant, Innovation Strategy) | Sep 2010 | |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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 | |
| 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) |
| Mårten Westrup Sweden |
Energy/Climate | DG Enterprise (for 27 months), Policy officer and Legal officer | BusinessEurope, Adviser - Industrial Affairs Committee (climate change) | Oct 2010 | |
| 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 | |
| Martin Callanan UK |
Environment | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 15 years) | Symphony Environmental Technologies, Consultant | Nov 2014 | |
| Janez Potočnik Slovenia |
Environment | European Commission, Commissioner for the environment | Forum for the future of agriculture + others, Chairman | Dec 2014 | (updated) |
| Mogens Peter Carl Denmark |
Environment | DG Environment, Director-General | Kreab Gavin Anderson (lobby consultancy), Senior Adviser | Feb 2010 | |
| Tobias McKenney |
IT | European Commission, DG Internal Market, Policy advisor - copyright unit | Google, European intellectual property manager | Jun 2012 | (updated) |
| Robert Madelin UK |
IT | European Political Strategy Center & DG CNECT, Senior Adviser on Innovation & Director General | Madelin Innovation, Director - Consultant | Oct 2016 | (new) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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 | |
| Maria Damanaki Greece |
Maritime affairs | European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries | The Nature Conservancy, Global managing director for oceans | Jan 2015 | (updated) |
| Joe Borg Malta |
Maritime affairs | European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries | Fipra, Special advisor | Aug 2010 | |
| George Lyon UK |
Agriculture | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 5 years) | Hume Brophy, Agri-business senior consultant | Jan 2015 | |
| Joao Pacheco Portugal |
Agriculture | European Commission, DG agriculture, Deputy director-general | JSPacheco-International Consulting, Allen F. Johnson Associates, Farm Europe, Various | Oct 2013 | (updated) |
| Siim Kallas Estonia |
General | European Commission, European commissioner for transport (previously transparency) | Nortal, Consultant | May 2015 | (updated) |
| 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 | |
| Arlene McCarthy UK |
General | European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 20 years) | Sovereign Strategy, Deputy chair for European strategy | Jul 2014 | (updated) |
| 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 | |
| Hervé Jouanjean France |
General | European commission, DG budget, Director-general | Fidal, Of counsel | May 2014 | |
| Gary Titley UK |
General | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) | Hume Brophy, Senior consultant | Jan 2010 | |
| Graham Watson UK |
General | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) | Bagehot Ltd, Founder and managing director | Oct 2014 | |
| 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) |
| Michał Kamiński Poland |
General | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 8 years) | Prism Group, Partner | Oct 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 | |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Tibor Kiss Hungary |
General | Hungary Permanent Representation to the EU, Ambassador and Permanent Representative | PA Europe, Senior Political Adviser | Nov 2011 | |
| José Manuel Barroso Portugal |
General | European Commission, President (for 10 years) | Various including Goldman Sachs, European Business Summit + Bilderberg Conferences, | Nov 2014 | (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 | |
| Anders Fogh Rasmussen Denmark |
Security | North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Secretary General | Rasmussen Global, Consultant | Oct 2014 | |
| 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 | |
| Michel Petite France |
Tobacco | Legal Service - European Commission, Director-General (for 6 years) | Clifford Chance, Of Counsel | Jan 2008 | |
| Karin Riis-Jørgensen Denmark |
Tobacco | European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 15 years) | Kreab Gavin Anderson, Senior advisor | ||
| Gayle Kimberley Malta |
Tobacco | European Council, Lawyer | Swedish Match, Lobbyist | Nov 2011 | |
| Johan Gabrielsson Sweden |
Tobacco | DG Enlargement, Project Manager - EU Policies | Swedish Match, Public Affairs Director | Oct 2011 |