'Former EU President Barroso lobbied'

brussels (anp) - The former President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso has been discredited over lobbying activities in Brussels. The Portuguese, who started working at the investment bank Goldman Sachs in 2016, talked privately with EU commissioner Jyrki Katainen in October 2017 in a Brussels hotel.

Katainen writes this to the lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory, who had asked for clarification about the meeting. According to the Finn, the two spoke mainly about 'trade and defense'. There are no notes from the conversation.

The appointment was at the request of Barroso himself, according to Katainen, and was included in the public transparency register. This happened under the name Goldman Sachs, not under the name of the former committee chairman of Portugal.

Barroso, who was the boss of the EU's executive board until November 2014, came under fire when he joined the American bank. The bank is considered to be the cause of the financial crisis that had major consequences for the EU. Moreover, his relationship with the bank during his ten-year term in Brussels would have been heartfelt. At the end of 2016, the ethics committee of the committee ruled that it had not violated the code of conduct.

According to Katainen, 'transparency is a priority' for the committee. In his letter he refers to the stricter code of conduct that came into force on 31 January. Former chairmen must request permission for a new job up to three years after their departure, the Commissioners up to two years. The 'cooling off period' was previously eighteen months.