Revolving doors

At a time when the EU needs to be taking unprecedented action to tackle the climate crisis, Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen has shockingly nominated ex-Shell employee and well-known corporate player Wopke Hoekstra as climate commissioner.

Corporate Europe Observatory and the French association Bloom have today made a complaint to the EU lobby register secretariat regarding the French and EU fishing industry and its use of the revolving door.

Around three quarters of Google’s and Meta’s lobbyists have formerly worked for EU governmental bodies. Check out our new story using data from LobbyFacts.

The Uber Files have reignited concern about the revolving doors move by Neelie Kroes, Digital agenda Commissioner until October 2014, to Uber. Get the low-down here.

Uber, currently dominating news headlines around the world, is a regular visitor to the European Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels. Read on for the low-down on Uber’s EU lobbying.

In January 2022, France will take on the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. Yet this Presidency has been prepared in close collaboration with the French corporate sector, and is setting a policy agenda that strongly reflects business demands. It looks set to be a captured presidency.

In January France will take over the Presidency of the EU Council for six months. But the early signs are worrying that this will be a pro-corporate presidency which prioritises a handful of corporate ‘champions’, and an ever greater role for big business in policy-making.

“The Ombudsman is concerned about the potential risk of conflicts of interest.” These concerns led the European Ombudsman’s office to launch an inquiry into the European Defence Agency’s handling of the request by its former Chief Executive to allow him to become a lobbyist for Airbus.

Several recent revolving door scandals show the weakness of EU staff rules on public officials taking up roles – particularly lobbying roles – in the private sector. Only one in two hundred applications for employment during the notification period or while on leave are rejected by the Commission services.

Civil society groups demand action from the European Commission on revolving doors. In a open letter they list proposals that follow on a case in the European Banking Authority, that showed how the Commission is responsible for loopholes.

Internal documents reveal a real disregard for ethics rules at the European Banking Authority. Revolving door scandals include the Director’s move to a powerful finance lobby group, and a former big bank lobbyist as Chair.

After seeing his first pick for Commissioner rejected by the European Parliament due to concerns of conflict of interests, French President Macron seems to have doubled down with a potentially even more controversial nomination: Thierry Breton, CEO of Atos.