Answer given by President Juncker on behalf of the Commission
28.2.2017
The Commission is aware of the petition launched by a group of staff members of the European institutions on former President Barroso's assignment as Non-Executive Chairman and Advisor with Goldman Sachs. This petition was handed to the Secretary-General of the Commission on 12 October 2016.
The Commission requested the Ad hoc Ethical Committee's opinion on former President Barroso's abovementioned assignment. The Committee delivered its opinion on 26 October 2016[1]. It concluded that, on the basis of the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, there were not sufficient grounds to establish a violation of the duty of discretion and integrity set out in Article 245 of the TFEU.
In order to reinforce existing rules under the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, President Juncker has decided to consult the European Parliament, on 23 November 2016, on an amendment to the Code with a view to extend the cooling-off period from 18 months to 2 years for Commissioners and to 3 years for the President of the Commission.
- [1] http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/ethics-for-commissioners/pdf/opinion-comite-adhoc-2016-10-26_en.pdf