ALTER-EU's contribution to the public consultation of the European Ombudsman on public service principles for EU civil servants.
Our view is that the EU institutions at this point in time do not have sufficiently clear and detailed internal rules on conflicts of interest. ALTER-EU has for several years advocated a review of the Staff Regulations to ensure clear rules that avoid conflicts of interest, for instance related to post-employment choices of Commission and EU agency officials.
The European Commission, it seems, has chosen a soft approach rather than clear, detailed rules. ALTER-EU will continue to advocate improvements in the Staff Regulations, particularly a cooling-off period of several years for Commission officials going through the revolving door into jobs that involve lobbying.
