Commissioners’ exit eased by massive pay-offs

Date: 18/03/1999

By Simon Taylor

ACTING European Commission Vice-President Manuel Marin stands to collect almost €400,000 after leaving the institution, with many of his colleagues also set to receive generous pay-offs.

Under the institution's rules, former Commissioners are entitled to payments worth up to 65% of their salaries when they leave to ease their way back into post-Brussels' life. In Marin's case, having served nearly 15 years in Brussels, he will be able to draw the maximum percentage of his current monthly salary of €17,337.5 for three years after leaving. The payments are completely separate from pension contributions, which can add up to 70% of a Commissioner's final salary.

Other figures who stand to benefit from generous payouts include Acting Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan, who will receive nearly €350,000 in the three years after leaving Brussels. Another of the long-servers, Industry Commissioner Martin Bangemann stands to make more than €300,000.

The rules for payments to Commissioners who leave are the same irrespective of whether they left when their term of office expired or resigned early.

Commissioners often take up highly paid jobs in finance or private industry after leaving Brussels to capitalise on their experience. Former Irish Competition Commissioner Peter Sutherland has recently earned tens of millions of dollars from the flotation of Goldman-Sachs bank where he is a senior partner.

The news that even those Comm- issioners criticised by the experts' report stand to receive large payouts is bound to further provoke the European Parliament, which has attacked the Commission for suspending whistle blower Paul van Buitenen on half pay.

Some Commission officials pointed out at the time that it was only possible to punish him in this way because he was a lower grade official, as the institution's rules do not allow for senior A-grade officials to have their pay docked while facing disciplinary proceedings.