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.

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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 Last updated
Viviane Reding
Luxembourg
General European Commission, Commissioner for Justice Various, including Bertelsmann Foundation + Agfa-Gevaert, Member of board Nov 2014 (updated)
Gayle Kimberley
Malta
Tobacco European Council, Lawyer Swedish Match, Lobbyist Nov 2011
Joe Borg
Malta
Maritime affairs European Commission, Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries Fipra, Special advisor Aug 2010
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
Eline Post
Netherlands
Competition DG Competition, Case handler (since 2005) Avisa Partners, Senior consultant on competition Dec 2010
Harald Boerekamp
Netherlands
Development DG-ECHO (Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection), Administrator (contract agent) Interel European Affairs, Senior consultant May 2012
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
Corien Wortmann-Kool
Netherlands
Finance European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 10 years) Aegon NV + ABP, Supervisory board member May 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
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)
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
Marcus Lippold
not known
Energy/Climate ExxonMobil, Various since 1992 DG Energy, International relations officer Oct 2008 (updated)
Laura Smillie
not known
Food European Food Information Council (for 5 years), Communications manager European Food Safety Authority, Communications directorate May 2010
Aleksandra Tomczak
Poland
Energy/Climate World Coal Association, European specialist + Policy manager European Commission, DG Energy, Policy coordinator EU Coal Feb 2015 (updated)
Michał Kamiński
Poland
General European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 8 years) Prism Group, Partner Oct 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)
José Manuel Barroso
Portugal
General European Commission, President (for 10 years) Various including Goldman Sachs, European Business Summit + Bilderberg Conferences, Nov 2014 (updated)
Janez Potočnik
Slovenia
Environment European Commission, Commissioner for the environment Forum for the future of agriculture + others, Chairman Dec 2014 (updated)
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
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
Jan Eric Frydman
Sweden
Trade Ekenberg & Andersson, Lawyer & partner DG Trade, Special adviser for trade policy and transatlantic affairs Mar 2015 (updated)
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
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
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)
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
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
Johan Gabrielsson
Sweden
Tobacco DG Enlargement, Project Manager - EU Policies Swedish Match, Public Affairs Director Oct 2011
Chris Davies
UK
Energy/Climate European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (for 15 years) Chris Davies Ltd, Director Dec 2014 (new)
Peter Skinner
UK
Finance European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) Allianz SE, Senior Advisor on EU/International relations.
Glyn Ford
UK
Foreign affairs European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 25 years) G+ and Polint Ltd, Senior Adviser Jul 2009
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
Martin Callanan
UK
Environment European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 15 years) Symphony Environmental Technologies, Consultant Nov 2014
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)
Arlene McCarthy
UK
General European parliament, Member of European parliament (for 20 years) Sovereign Strategy, Deputy chair for European strategy Jul 2014 (updated)
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)
Gary Titley
UK
General European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) Hume Brophy, Senior consultant Jan 2010
Robert Madelin
UK
IT European Political Strategy Center & DG CNECT, Senior Adviser on Innovation & Director General Madelin Innovation, Director - Consultant Oct 2016 (new)
Graham Watson
UK
General European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 20 years) Bagehot Ltd, Founder and managing director Oct 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)
George Lyon
UK
Agriculture European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 5 years) Hume Brophy, Agri-business senior consultant Jan 2015
Brian Simpson
UK
European Parliament, Member of European Parliament (for 23 years) Hume Brophy, Senior consultant Jul 2014