Conflicts of Interests, Revolving Doors and far-right Ties among new EU Commission nominees
Controversial figures
Originally published by Corporate Europe
All links to previous Gospa News articles have been added in the aftermath
After uncertainty and delays, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen finally announced the list of candidates for the new Commission to Members of the European Parliament today. We have reviewed the curricula of the Commissioners-designate and found cases of revolving-door conflicts of interest and far-right affiliations that raise concerns.
The European people have a right to know who are the new commissioners that will make important decisions on their behalf. We want a Commission which acts in the interests of the European people and environment, not European corporations.
Read more about the proposed new commissioners below.
Revolving doors & conflict of interest:
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Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal) – Financial services and the savings and investment union: Right after being Minister of Finance, she jumped to the UK-based debt collector Arrow Global bandwagon, which was handling €300 million of [Portuguese financial services group] Banif bad debts. Full profile and infographics here.
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Jozef Síkela (Czech Republic) – International partnerships: At Erste Group, one of the largest financial services providers in Central and Eastern Europe, he was responsible for corporate and investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, real estate finance, trade finance, financial markets and macroeconomic analysis. Full profile and infographics here.
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Wopke Hoekstra (The Netherlands) – Climate, net zero and clean growth: He faced a parliamentary investigation in 2023 for allegedly promoting oil and gas exploration in the Netherlands for personal financial gain. His career has been marked by conflicts of interest, including his role as a Dutch senator while partnering with McKinsey, and he was named in the Pandora Papers for offshore dealings. His opposition to financial support during COVID-19 also strained relations with southern European politicians, raising concerns over his lack of solidarity. Full profile and infographics here.
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Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria) – Startups, research and innovation: In 2018, she was accused by a former employee-turned-whistleblower of running a ‘cash-for-passports’ scam, selling passports to foreigners and granting them visa-free travel across the European Union. Full profile and infographics here.
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Marta Kos (Slovenia) – Enlargement: She has been working as Senior Adviser at Kreab, one of the biggest big business lobbying consultancies. Kreab’s corporate clients include Amazon, Google and BP, as well as banks and chemical manufacturers. She also has Married to Henri Getaz, Secretary General of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Full profile and infographics here.
Far-right affiliations:
- Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece) – Sustainable transport and tourism: After being elected in 2013, he invited representatives of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party to an annual parade and compared the fascist party to the socialist PASOK. In 2016, he deliberately missed the signing of an agreement between Thessaloniki and the UNHCR to improve conditions for asylum seekers. Full profile and infographics here.
- Raffaele Fitto (Italy) – Cohesion and Reforms: Over the years Fitto has changed parties (moving further to the right), ending up in Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI). Has been involved in several trials for bribery and corruption. He was sentenced to five years’ disqualification from public office and one year’s imprisonment, but was later acquitted of all charges. While president of the Puglia region, Fitto was also accused of conspiring to short-sell the trading company Cedis, but was later acquitted. Full profile and infographics here.
- Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary) – Health and animal welcare: He is a controversial figure in Brussels, particularly for his positions on Israel/Palestine, Serbia and Georgia. Orbán’s man is the current Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. Full profile and infographics here.
Originally published by Corporate Europe
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