Centre for European Energy Strategy
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Background
The Centre for European Energy Strategy or CERES sprl was founded 2005 by Dr. Rolf Linkohr, a former member of the EU Parliament a special advisor to Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs for two years. Linkohl serves as CERES President:
Other "shareholders" are:
- Fritz Gautier, the former executive director of German energy companies and member of the Bundestag,
- Dietmar Dürr, Managing Director of the Energy Policy Consultancy Inagendo GmbH.
- Isabelle Babak is CERES's Secretary General
Europe Invests In Nuclear Energy
CERES was one of the organisors of the conference in November 2006 "Nuclear Invests Again in Nuclear Energy". Speakers included, amongst others:
- Bruno Lescoeur, Senior Executive Vice President, EDF,
- Walter Hohlefelder, President, German Atomic Forum, Berlin
- Veijo Ryhänen, Corporate Advisor, TVO, Olkiluoto
- Lord Jack Cunningham of Felling, Honorary and legislative Chair of TANEF
- Chris Anastasi, Senior Environmental Advisor, British Energy
A Clear Case of A Conflict of Interest
According to the research organisation Corporate Europe Observatory that has examined nuclear lobbying at the EU: “Linkohr’s double functions as a lobbying consultant working for energy firms and the Energy Commissioner’s special advisor causes very significant conflict of interests".
CEO continues: "CERES’ corporate clients can be expected to receive advice from Mr Linkohr and his colleagues about how to advance their commercial interests vis-a-vis EU energy policies. Providing such advice and analysis is likely to be Mr Linkohr’s main source of income. At the same time, Linkohr is supposed to provide the Energy Commissioner with advice about how to shape EU energy policies to serve the public interest".
"The mixing of roles also seems to be at odds with the European Commission’s staff regulations, which apply ‘by analogy’ to the Commissioners’ advisors. The staff regulations provide that 'An official shall not without the permission of the appointing authority accept from any government or from any other source outside the institution to which he belongs any honour, decoration, favour, gift or payment of any kind whatever'. According to these rules, moreover, 'an official shall carry out his duties and conduct himself solely with the interests of the Communities in mind'. It is hard to imagine that providing commercial lobbying consultancy services for energy firms can be convincingly be combined with providing the Energy Commissioner with unbiased advice”. [1]
In February 2007, Linkohr was dismissed from his position as a special advisor. [2]
External Links
- ^ Corporate Europe Observatory, The Conflicting Interests of Rolf Linkohr: Energy Industry Lobbyist and Special Adviser to the EU Energy Commissioner, Briefing Paper, January 2007
- ^ Andrew Bounds, "Brussels Special Advisers to be Named", Financial Times, February 18, 2007