by
Martin Banks*
The
demand, by the respected Brussels-based pressure group, Corporate Europe
Observatory, comes in the wake of what it calls the "shocking" case
of former leading UK Conservative MEP Martin Callanan.
The
group, which campaigns for more transparency and openness in the EU, says there
is a direct conflict of interest between Callanan's former job and a new
consultancy post.
It
says his case typifies potential conflict of interest issues caused when former
MEPs and EU commissioners take up new posts in the private sector soon after
departing their EU jobs, something which has been dubbed the "revolving
door" syndrome.
CEO
says it also has similar concerns about the new professional activities of Jose
Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission, who recently left
his post, and Viviane Reding, who it says has now taken up numerous new jobs -
alongside her MEP mandate - with Bertelsmann Foundation, Nyrstar, Agfa-Gevaert
and several speakers' bureaux.
It
also raises concerns about Algirdas Šemeta, formerly EU commissioner for
taxation, is now the Ukrainian Business Ombudsman, and the ex EU development
commissioner Andris Piebalgs who has joined Friends of the Global Fund Europe.
There
are also doubts expressed over Nelli Feroci, ex EU commissioner for industry
who has returned to his previous jobs.
One
particular case it highlights is that of Lord Callanan, who was leader of the
European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, the third largest in the
Parliament, until last year when he lost his seat in the Euro elections.
He
had been a member of the environment committee where he produced numerous
reports as rapporteur or shadow rapporteur.
Since
then he has been made a member of the UK's second chamber, the House of Lords.
In
November, it was announced that Callanan had become a consultant to the UK-based
Symphony Environmental Technologies Group which “specializes in developing and
marketing a wide range of plastic products and other environmental
technologies, and operates worldwide”.
Symphony’s
CEO Michael Laurier said it was "delighted that Lord Callanan has joined
us, and we all look forward to working with him. … his international
experience, and service on the Environment Committee of the European Parliament
will be of great benefit to the company.”
At
the time, Callanan said, "I look forward to working with Symphony to bring
the benefits of their technologies to Europe and the wider world, and to raise
awareness in the UK of the contribution which this British company is making to
the UK economy and to public health and environmental protection
worldwide."
In
November 2014, Margrete Auken, a Danish MEP who had been pushing for a ban on
oxo-biodegradable plastic bags, accused Symphony of using its links to the UK
Conservative-led government to orchestrate a blocking minority against her bag
ban in the EU Council of Ministers.
Corporate
Europe Observatory says Symphony is not listed in the EU's (voluntary) lobby
register.
It
says that according to his listing in the House of Lords register of members'
interests and information held by Companies House in the UK, Callanan has set
up a company called MC Associates (Europe) Ltd.
His
clients, it says, include EUTOP, a Berlin-based lobby agency which is not in
the EU lobby register but which claims:
"Our work is tailored to the
European decision-making structures and processes in all their commercial,
cultural and political diversity. EUTOP has had a strong network of contacts
among political decision-makers in Brussels and selected EU member states for
more than 20 years".
Parliament's
code of conduct for MEPs, approved in 2011, state that “former MEPs who engage
in professional lobbying or representational activities directly linked to the
EU decision-making process may not, throughout the period in which they engage
in those activities, benefit from the facilities granted to former members
under the rules laid down by the Bureau to that effect”.
However,
Corporate Europe Observatory says that curently there is no process to monitor
or enforce this part of the code and ensure that former MEPs do not use their
lifelong access pass for lobbying purposes.
When
MEPs leave the European parliament they are entitled to a transitional
allowance equivalent to one month's salary for every year they have been an
MEP, with a minimum pay-out of six months' salary and a maximum of 24 months.
CEO
says it received no response when it tried to contact Callanan. A
CEO spokesman said, “This is a pretty shocking revolving door case which once
again illustrates how urgently the European Parliament needs to develop some
conflict of interest rules for departing MEPs.
There is a clear link between
Martin Callanan's membership of the Parliament's environment committee and his
new work for Symphony."
*Freelance Brussels based correspodent
By: N. Peter Kramer
