Aren’t cooling-off periods really expensive because we will have to pay people leaving the EU institutions a lot of money if they are not allowed to work?

Ex-Commissioners are entitled to a transitional allowance after they leave office so that they are not forced to accept jobs which might provoke a conflict of interest. ALTER-EU considers that the period of time that transitional allowances apply for should relate to the cooling-off period on lobbying jobs. For example, Commissioners are currently entitled to between 40 and 65 per cent of their final basic salary for the three years after they leave office; hence ALTER-EU believes that ex-Commissioners should abide by a three year cooling-off period on lobby jobs.

Transitional allowances do not apply to officials. Thus the institutions will not incur expensive costs of paying ex-officials after they have left their employment. Former officials will not be “not allowed to work”, but some may be prevented from accepting a limited category of jobs for a period of time.