The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has ordered an ethics committee to look into the Barroso affair that saw the former President of the European Commission take a high-profile and lucrative position at the reviled international finance house Goldman Sachs.
José Manuel Barroso may have broken EU rules that state that commission officials must “behave with integrity and discretion” once they have retired or moved on.
Juncker has confirmed that these rules are universal and without time limit.
The statement issued by the EC president responds to a petition signed by over 140,000 Brussels employees and members of the public who concur that Barroso’s behaviour in taking the Goldman Sachs shilling is “morally reprehensible.”
The EU hierarchy has been under pressure to react ever since Barroso was found to have landed a top post at Goldman Sachs, advising the bank and its corporate clients on Brexit.
Juncker has written to the EU ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, to ask Barroso to explain and clarify his responsibilities at Goldman Sachs while at the same time the case is being investigated by a panel of EU experts comprising a former judge, a former vice-president of the European parliament and a former high-ranking commission official.
Goldman may regret appointing Barroso if the bank assumed their new appointee could open doors and walk right in to EU departments as Juncker has made it clear that Barroso will be treated like any other lobbyist and subject to the same rules - no red carpet treatment for him, it now has been made clear.
Barroso was Portugal’s centre right Prime Minister from 2004 and 2014 having shrugged off Maoist tendencies developed as a student. His decision to join Goldman Sachs sent shockwaves through Europe and wiped out any lingering vestiges of respect some may still have held for Barroso.
Goldman Sachs, aka 'The Great Vampire Squid’ arranged the controversial and devious financial instruments that enabled the Greek government to show a set of public finance figures that did not reflect reality. Barroso was the European Commission President at the time.
Carl Dolan from Transparency International’s office in Brussels described the decision to convene the ethics committee as “a small victory” for those who signed the petition, adding,
“In a case that will have a huge impact on the commission’s integrity and reputation, the process needs to be swift and transparent. It’s imperative that the committee’s minutes, recommendations and the reasoning behind them are published as soon as possible.”
Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, said any decision about Barroso "does not concern the Portuguese government" and that he would not comment on the matter.
"The Commission respects certain standards of behavior in relation to the parties. The decision is a decision taken by the competent authority, the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and thus this question does not concern the Portuguese government" said the Foreign Minister.
