More than 75 people have signed a petition to ask Josè Manuel Barroso, former president of the EU Commission, to give up his community pension. The Portuguese is accused of having brought the European Union into disrepute by agreeing to work for Goldman Sachs, of which he will become a consultant for the management of Brexit and non-executive chairman of the London-based division.
The petition, launched by a small group of EU officials, accuses Barroso of "irresponsible and morally reprehensible behaviour". The former head of the European executive is certainly not the first former politician to accept a highly paid position in a multinational company. But the company in question is not one of many: Goldman Sachs played a central role in Greece's bankruptcy and the subprime mortgage scam that caused the 2008 financial crisis.
According to supporters of the petition, Barroso's new work is "a disaster" for the image of the European Union - which, moreover, is not experiencing its period of maximum popularity - and a great gift to the increasingly influential patrol of Eurosceptic political movements . “This is yet another example – they explain – of that practice of revolving doors which is seriously damaging the reputation of the European institutions. Even if it's not illegal, it's still morally reprehensible."
The reasoning behind the petition is simple. For 10 years Barroso headed the institution that was tasked with enforcing the rules and today he moves to a bank known for its reluctance to follow those same rules; in doing so, the Portuguese raises serious doubts about the way you carried out your first job, casting a shadow on the credibility of the entire institution.
