Barroso bank job cleared by ethics panel

An ethics committee of the European Commission has said that former Commission president José Manuel Barroso did not violate his duties in taking up a role at the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

The Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker sought the advice of the committee following public outrage over a July announcement that Barroso had been appointed non-executive chairman and adviser at Goldman Sachs. Barroso’s acceptance of the role was seen by many as a failure to act with the “integrity and discretion” required of members of the Commission, even after they have ceased to hold office.

The committee concluded on 26 October that, although it is a “fact” that in accepting the position Barroso “has not shown the considerate judgment one may expect from someone having held the high office he occupied for so many years”, he nevertheless did not violate his duty of integrity and discretion.