One of the architects of the European Green Deal has received permission from the European Commission to take up the role of Chairman with Gasunie, a Dutch gas company.
Diederik Samsom, had initially made the move to the gas company on June 26, without the required EC permission.
Amid raised eyebrows regarding a staunch climate activist working for a gas firm, it turned out that Samsom had broken EC rules, investigative publication Follow the Money (FTM) reported.
There were serious questions about a potential conflict of interest, it said. European employment regulations stipulate that outgoing EC officials have to ask permission if they want to take up a new job that is related to their prior one.
Samsom left the EC in June after five years in a key role under two EC climate Commissioners — Frans Timmermans and Wopke Hoekstra.
On August 8, FTM said it had been informed via a spokesperson for Gasunie that the EC had given permission to Samsom to be chairman of the Dutch state-owned gas company.
According to a former right-hand man of Timmermans, the body has expressed “no objections” to Samsom’s new role.
Samsom said the EC “regrets” the “late notification”, which he claimed to personally regret as well. He did not mention any sanction for his violation of the rules.
The EC later told FTM: “After a thorough examination of Mr Samsom’s responsibilities in the Commission, of his envisaged professional activity and of risks resulting thereof for the interests and reputation of the Institution, the Commission has imposed clear conditions and has authorised the employment, subject to respect of the restrictions.”
It added: “These restrictions aim to prevent any risk of a real, potential or perceived conflict with the Commission’s legitimate interests, whilst also respecting the fundamental principle of former staff’s right to work.”
A prominent advocate for the European Union’s Green Deal, Samsom’s appointment as the chairman of a major energy company known for its significant greenhouse gas emissions drew widespread criticism.
Daniel Freund, co-chair of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Anti-Corruption, told Brussels Signal it was “another shocking revolving-door case”.
Some also questioned Samsom’s personal convictions – as a student, he was a zealous Greenpeace activist who protested loudly against the oil and gas industry.
Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa resigned Tuesday amid a police probe into suspected nepotism and corruption. https://t.co/ML5wmOuXIQ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 7, 2023
