MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Thierry Breton’s appointment to the Bank of America advisory council – E-000275/2025(ASW)

1. The Commission’s assessment of the former Commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton’s envisaged post term of office activity as member of the Global Advisory Council of the Bank of America followed the procedure laid down in Article 11(2) of the Code of Conduct for the Members of the Commission. In line with this provision, the Independent Ethical Committee delivered its opinion, upon which the Commission built its decision[1]. Both the opinion and the Commission’s decision are available on the website ‘Former European Commissioners’ authorised occupations[2].

2. Public trust in the Commission’s independence is of paramount importance. Former Commissioners’ post term of office activities are assessed against the framework of the Treaties, namely Articles 245 and 339 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and of the Code of Conduct for the Members of the Commission. Their post term of office activities eventually authorised by the Commission do not impact the way the serving Members of the Commission abide by the obligations that apply to them.

3. The Commission’s rules and procedures in force are designed to ensure the integrity of the Members and former Members of the Commission and the appropriate transparency. The Commission is determined to keep its ethical standards, rules and procedures up to the highest level of comparable institutions. The Commission considers that the rules and procedures contained in the current version of the Code of Conduct for the Members of the Commission ensure this high level of integrity.

• [1] Decision C(2025) 9000 of 15 January 2020: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/fad11e85-55ec-42b0-a145-7fc3387107a9_en?filename=c-2025-9000-en.pdf and the corresponding opinion of the Independent Ethical Committee, of 12 December 2024: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/f6c6e1bf-495d-4ad3-ab0b-e68db63bcc63_en?filename=opinion-of-the-iec-former-commissioner-breton-bank-of-america-en.pdf
• [2] https://commission.europa.eu/about/service-standards-and-principles/ethics-and-good-administration/commissioners-and-ethics/former-european-commissioners-authorised-occupations_en