Commission questioned on ‘sunshine secondments’

Date: 08/05/02

By David Cronin

THE European Commission is being challenged to declare whether staff rules were waived to allow one of its senior officials to spend two years lecturing at an American university.

Santiago Gómez Reino, a leading figure in the Commission's directorate-general for external relations and former director of its humanitarian office ECHO, is teaching at the University of Miami as part of an EU-funded programme on transatlantic cooperation.

The Sunshine State college says the terms of his secondment have been 'exceptionally expanded' to allow him stay for two years rather than the usual limit of 12 months.

This has prompted German MEP Gabriele Stauner to ask if his secondment 'departs from the customary rules' and whether personnel Commissioner Neil Kinnock approved the exemption.

In a separate Parliamentary question, Danish left-winger Freddy Blak has asked the Commission to explain whether the EU-US fellowship programme is cost-effective.

Now in its 20th year, the project enables EU officials to spend a year teaching in the US, while retaining their Commission salary. Anthony Gooch, spokesman to Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, was recently seconded to the Los Angeles University of Southern California under the scheme.

Blak has reminded the Commission that MEPs sought an evaluation of the programme when examining the EU's budget for the 1999 financial year. He asked that this study be released to them.

Kinnock's spokesman Eric Mamer said he could not comment on the questions raised until the Commission has given an official response to the two MEPs. 'We are not in a position to start answering Parliamentary questions via the media,' he added.

The European Commission is being challenged to declare whether staff rules were waived to allow one of its senior officials to spend two years lecturing at an American university.