Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000358/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Pascale Piera (PfE), Anne-Sophie Frigout (PfE), Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain (PfE), Mathilde Androuët (PfE), Catherine Griset (PfE), Julie Rechagneux (PfE), Christophe Bay (PfE), Séverine Werbrouck (PfE), Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE), Malika Sorel (PfE), Aleksandar Nikolic (PfE), Julien Sanchez (PfE), Elisabeth Dieringer (PfE), Tomáš Kubín (PfE), Barbara Bonte (PfE), Anna Bryłka (PfE), Nikola Bartůšek (PfE), Ton Diepeveen (PfE), Jorge Martín Frías (PfE), Jorge Buxadé Villalba (PfE), Ondřej Knotek (PfE), Tomasz Froelich (ESN), Markus Buchheit (ESN), Hans Neuhoff (ESN), Erik Kaliňák (NI), Katarína Roth Neveďalová (NI), Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă (NI), Kateřina Konečná (NI), Nicolas Bay (ECR), Fernand Kartheiser (ECR)
On 15 January 2025, the Commission gave the green light for Thierry Breton’s new role lobbying for the Global Advisory Board of Bank of America[1].
However, according to Articles 245 and 339 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as a former European Commissioner, he is bound by ‘the duty to behave with integrity and discretion’ and to ‘not disclose information’ covered by the obligation of professional secrecy, including post term of office.
The Commission’s Ethical Committee rightly pointed out in its opinion that there is nevertheless ‘a link between former Commissioner Breton’s portfolio responsibilities and the scope of the notified activity’, given the size of his portfolio.
- 1.How does the Commission justify the obvious contradiction between, on the one hand, its decision to authorise Breton taking up this role for a foreign entity and, on the other hand, him being prohibited from using any information acquired during his term of office, when that mandate is precisely why he was asked to join the advisory board?
- 2.Will it at long last review the composition of the Ethical Committee, whose members are ‘appointed by the Commission, on a proposal from the President’ (Article 12(4) of the Code of Conduct), with a view to making it properly independent?
Submitted: 27.1.2025
- [1] Commission Decision C(2025)9000 final