The Bahamas Leaks: Not the first time that Neelie Kroes is being revealed for secrecy – Aftenposten

The now-retired Dutch politician Neelie Kroes sat on the board of directors of a company in the tax haven at the same time as she was EU commissioner. It was known in Aftenposten and a range of international media this week in connection with the dokumentlekkasjen the Bahamas Leaks.

Kroes' a director of the company in the Bahamas was never provided to the EUROPEAN union, in spite of the ethical regulations, which obliged her to it. The former commissioner acknowledges that she should have given the directorship.

The earlier EUROPEAN union summit have also been revealed for the secrecy and lack of transparency about their roles.

New leak: Now you can search the information about 175.000 companies in skatteparadiset Bahamas

Was the lobbyist for våpenprodusent

When then-EU president José Manuel Barroso suggested Kroes as konkurransekommissær in 2004, was the choice met with criticism by several of the elected officials in the EUROPEAN parliament.

the Wall Street Journal could namely reveal that Kroes had previously been a lobbyist for the american våpenprodusenten Lockheed Martin, but that she had stated when she presented for their interests.

the European union’s code of regulations does not require that the commissioners provide lobbying, but Lockheed Martin had strong links to an Italian company that was under investigation by the EUROPEAN union at the time.

Promised to withdraw from cases

Kroes came also to the EUROPEAN union after several years in the private sector and had a wide range of boards behind him. The EUROPEAN parliament questioned Kroes' impartiality and independence, and also had a hearing where commissioner Kroes had to answer the criticism.

finally she was approved as a new konkurransekommissær, but not before she updated interesseerklæringen and promised to withdraw from all EU-matters in which she potentially could be disqualified.

Stefaan De Rynck, a spokesman in the EU, said to the Wall Street Journal in 2004 that they had never had a commission-a candidate with so many business interests and potential conflicts of interest.

the Challenge of dealing with her conflicts of interest is a small price to pay against her experience, he said.

< p>She was the EUROPEAN top in ten years. At the same time, Neelie Kroes directors of an anonymous company in the tax haven. the

Professor: – It is irresponsible

the EUROPEAN commission has so far opted not to comment on the disclosure that Neelie Kroes on the new is revealed for secrecy. Kroes explains that she “assumed” that she was no longer a director of the company when she was EUROPEAN commissioner, but acknowledge that the task still should have been provided.

Professor Jarle Trondal by Arena, centre for europaforskning, believes Neelie Kroes should have been “particularly neat” in their interesseerklæringer as she previously has been criticized for lack of transparency.

Trondal don’t think it is good enough that when the EU commissioner “guess”, but does not check up, whether one is a member of the board of a tax haven company.

– They have to assume that the journalists who you find out of this. There is reason to believe, especially after, for example, the Panama Papers, that they can be caught with the pants down, so they can’t assume that it is not detected. It is irresponsible, he says to Aftenposten.