EU: Commission probed, former competition worker named in conflict-of-interest audit

The European Commission is reportedly being audited for conflicts of interest and failure of the authority to prevent the situation. According to reports, a probe was launched after October 2012 complaints filed by NGO watchdogs who argued that staff of the Commission are sometimes hired at consultancy firms and then lobby on issues they were previously involved in while at the Commission. Ten names were apparently handed over to the investigator running the case, including the name of Pablo Asbo who worked in the Commission’s competition directorate for six years before landing a job at Avisa Partners consultancy firm. The watchdogs argue that employees leaving the Commission should be required to go on hiatus before being hired in those positions, and that the Commission should properly inform their former employees of their obligations. While the Commission prohibited Asbo from working on certain projects at Avisa that would create a conflict of interest after the watchdogs pressed the matter, the watchdogs are arguing that there was sufficient time for Asbo to lobby on issues that would have created a conflict of interest before the Commission sent their notice, and that Asbo did not inform the Commission of the type of work he had been hired to do..