ALTER-EU considers that the following cooling-off periods should apply to different categories of people: Commissioners (three years) and staff and officials across the EU institutions (two years, but three years for the most senior officials). This is because we consider that the risk of conflicts of interest vary. Commissioners and the most senior EU officials develop legislation and are privy to a lot of confidential information and thus should attract the longest cooling-off periods. They are supposed to be wholly independent and to act solely in the public interest.
