“In his notification, Mr. Breton underlined his determination to refrain from any lobbying activities of any kind, especially, but not only, on matters for which he had been responsible within his portfolio, to refrain from disclosing any information of the kind covered by the obligation of professional secrecy and to respect the duty of integrity and discretion in particular covering the duties of collegiality,” the Commission wrote in its decision.
“Mr. Breton also underlined that, during his mandate as a member of the Commission, he had had no contact whatsoever with Bank of America,” it added.
The Commission has come under frequent criticism for its so-called revolving door of officials leaving public service to work in sectors they previously regulated.
Former Commission President José Manuel Barroso became chairman of Goldman Sachs less than two years after leaving office, while former tech chief Neelie Kroes was investigated for lobbying for Uber both before and after her cooling-off period.
In 2018 the Commission increased the length of the cooling-off period from 18 months to two years.
