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The case concerned the decision of the European Investment Bank to approve a request made by a former vice-president and member of its Management Committee (MC) (the ‘former VP’) to become a non-executive board member of a Spanish energy utility company, which received loans from the EIB.

The complainants, two Members of the European Parliament, raised concerns that the move gave rise to the risk of conflicts of interest. The EIB argued that the former VP had not been involved in the negotiation and implementation of the financing agreements between the EIB and the company.

The Ombudsman found that, in approving the move, the EIB did not properly manage the risk of conflicts of interest to which the former VP’s request arguably gave rise. However, given the EIB has, in the meantime, made improvements to the relevant ethics rules to address these matters, the Ombudsman determined that no further inquiries were justified.

Nonetheless, the Ombudsman made suggestions for improvement with a view to strengthening how the EIB assesses ‘revolving door’ moves by members of its MC to the private sector, and how it ensures compliance where its Ethics and Compliance Committee authorises a move but applies conditions on the individual and their activities.

Klageren, en civilsamfundsorganisation, udtrykte bekymring over bæredygtighedsvurderingen af gasprojekter i Energifællesskabet, en international organisation for energisamarbejde mellem EU og landene på Vestbalkan og i Sortehavsregionen. Sådanne projekter kan drage fordel af strømlinede tilladelsesprocedurer og skal opfylde de kriterier, der er fastsat i EU's forordning om transeuropæiske energinet (TEN-E), og som også anvendes af Energifællesskabet.

Energifællesskabet er ikke et EU-organ og hører derfor ikke ind under Ombudsmandens mandat. Da Kommissionen imidlertid repræsenterer EU i Energifællesskabet, anmodede Ombudsmanden Kommissionen om at forklare, hvordan den sikrer, at gasprojekternes bæredygtighed vurderes korrekt, og hvilken rolle den spiller i processen.

I forbindelse med denne undersøgelse gav Kommissionen også en opdatering vedrørende sin indsats for at forbedre bæredygtighedsvurderingen af EU's "gasprojekter af fælles interesse", som var genstand for en tidligere ombudsmandsundersøgelse.

Ombudsmanden fandt, at Kommissionens forklaringer var tilfredsstillende, og hun afsluttede sagen med en konstatering af, at der ikke forelå fejl eller forsømmelser.