Resolution on the appointment of Mr Martin Bangemann to a post in the private sector with the ‘Telefonica’ company
Date: 1999-07-22
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: code of conduct, private sector, recruitment, telecommunications, termination of employment

C 301/34

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

18.10.1999

Thursday 22 July 1999

Calls also on the PKK to put an end to violence and terrorism and to cooperate in the search for

11.
peace in Turkey;

Reiterates its call on the Council and the Member States to take all the measures required to assist in

12.
the promotion of a political solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey;

13.
Instructs  its  President  to  forward  this  resolution  to  the  Council,  the  Commission,  the  Turkish
Government,  the  Turkish  Grand  National  Assembly,  the  Parliamentary  Assembly  of  the  Council  of
Europe and the United Nations.

3.  Private-sector appointment of Mr Bangemann

B5-0003, 0004, 0013 and 0021/99

Resolution on the appointment of Mr Martin Bangemann to a post in the private sector with the
‘Telefonica’ company

The European Parliament,

−  having regard to Article 213 of the EC Treaty,

−  having regard to the Code of Conduct on standards in public life announced by the Commission on

17 July 1999,

−  having  regard  to  the  solemn  undertaking  given  by  Martin  Bangemann  on  entering  his  duties  as
Commissioner  responsible  for  industrial  affairs  and  information  and  telecommunications  techno-
logies that, both during and after his term of office, he would respect the obligations arising therefrom
and in particular his duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after he
ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits,

−  having regard to the statements made by the Commission and Council to Parliament on 21 July 1999,

−  having regard to the remarks on lack of personal responsibility in the first report of the Committee of

Independent Experts,

A.  whereas on 1 July 1999, Commissioner Martin Bangemann announced his intention to resign so that
he could immediately take up a post in the telecommunications industry on the Board of Directors of
the Spanish Telefonica company; whereas his conduct is to be deplored especially when seen against
the background of the crisis that the institutions of the Union have recently experienced,

B.  whereas Mr Bangemann had extensive official dealings with companies in the telecommunications

sector during his period of office,

C.  whereas there is great public disquiet over the failings of the Santer Commission to respect standards
in public life, and great public concern over public officials who on leaving office take positions in
companies  with  which  they  have  had  official  dealings;  whereas  the  public  interest  needs  to  be
protected,

D.  whereas the Commission should be at the forefront of maintaining and respecting standards in public

life,

1.
Condemns the action taken by Mr Bangemann in taking up a post in a part of the private sector where
he  had  primary  responsibility  for  Commission  policy,  without  respecting  the  need  for  a  ‘cooling-off
period’  after  leaving  office;  calls  on  Mr  Bangemann  to  reverse  his  decision  to  take  up  a  post  with
Telefonica;

Calls on all other outgoing members of the Santer Commission to respect voluntarily the new Code

2.
of Conduct;

18.10.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301/35

Thursday 22 July 1999

3.
Calls on the Prodi Commission to ensure that the provisions of the Code of Conduct it announced on
17 July 1999, in particular with regard to the declaration of financial interests, the prohibition on accepting
payments from third parties, the provisions on accepting private sector posts after leaving office, and the
establishment of a Committee on Standards in Public Life are enforced strictly and with the utmost rigour;

4.
Calls on the Commission and Council to ensure that Article 213 of the EC Treaty is strictly complied
with  and  enforced  in  relation  to  Mr  Bangemann;  in  this  respect  gives  its  full  support  to  the  Council
decision to refer to the European Court of Justice the case of Mr Bangemann who should have been led, by
the duty of discretion deriving from his responsibilities, to refuse the duties he has agreed to exercise in
‘Telefonica’ and, clearly, not to apply for a post involving a sphere of activities covered by his portfolio as
Commissioner, in particular the question of the suspension of the pension rights of Mr Bangemann during
the period of his employment with Telefonica;

Insists that Mr Bangemann be deprived of his pension entitlements and of any other benefits deriving

5.
from his office of Commissioner;

6.
Calls upon the next Intergovernmental Conference to consider revising Article 213 to ensure that the
provisions on Commissioners taking up posts after they have ceased to hold office are made more clear
and precise and correspond to the highest possible standards in public life;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council and the governments

7.
of the Member States.

4.  Dioxin

B5-0002, 0005, 0010, 0015 and 0017/99

Resolution on contamination by dioxins of foodstuffs in Belgium

The European Parliament,

−  having regard to Commission Decisions 1999/363/EC and 1999/389/EC of 3 June 1999 on protective
measures with regard to contamination by dioxins of certain animal products intended for human or
animal consumption and Commission Decision 1999/368/EC of 4 June 1999 on protective measures
with  regard  to  contamination  by  dioxins  of  products  intended  for  human  or  animal  consumption
derived from bovine animals and pigs,

−  having  regard  to  the  Commissio  decisions  of  11  June  1999  on  protective  measures  with  regard  to
contamination by dioxins of certain animal products intended for human or animal consumption and
amending  Decisions  1999/363/EC  and  1999/389/EC  and  the  decision  on  protective  measures  with
regard to contamination by dioxins of products intended for human or animal consumption derived
from bovine animals and pigs and revoking Decision 1999/368/EC,

−  having regard to Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in
intra-Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market, amended by Directive
92/118/EEC,

−  having  regard  to  Council  Directive  90/425/EEC  of  26  June  1990  concerning  veterinary  and
zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a
view to the completion of the internal market, amended by Directive 92/118/EEC,

−  having regard to the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive amending Directive
95/53/EC fixing the principles governing the organisation of official inspections in the field of animal
nutrition (COM(98)0602),