Full URL: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024_en
Strategic Imperative
The Declarations of Interests of the College of Commissioners is the definitive source for the private financial interests of the EU’s executive branch. This intelligence is fundamental to our EU-level strategies, particularly those involving challenges to the European Commission itself.
This platform is mission-critical for:
- Challenging EC Decisions: This is a primary tool for our “Challenge Discrpower” doctrine at the highest level1111. If the Commissioner for Competition approves a controversial merger or state aid package, evidence of their financial interest in one of the parties can be used to challenge the legality and impartiality of that decision before the General Court (GC) or the European Court of Justice (ECJ)2222.
- Informing “State Aid” and “EC/CMA” Complaints: Before submitting a complaint to the EC about illegal state aid or anticompetitive behaviour, we must analyze the declarations of the relevant Commissioners3333. This allows us to assess potential biases and tailor our arguments accordingly.
- Executing the “PTW (Political Time Window)” Doctrine: A conflict of interest involving a Commissioner is a matter of significant public and political interest across the EU4. Revealing such a conflict during a sensitive period—such as the run-up to European Parliament elections or during a hearing for a new Commissioner—provides maximum leverage.
Part I: The Search Platform’s Rules & Functionality
This platform is an official public archive, not a searchable database. Its use requires targeted, manual investigation.
- Publication Format: The portal is a landing page that lists all Commissioners for the 2019-2024 term. There is no central search bar to query across all declarations.
- Access Method: To access the information, you must click on the portrait or name of the specific Commissioner you wish to investigate. This leads to their individual profile page.
- Location of Declarations: On the individual Commissioner’s page, their “Declaration of Interests” is available as a PDF document. This document is the target of our investigation.
- Content of Declarations: The declaration is a standardized form that includes sections for:
- Financial interests: Shareholdings, bonds, and other financial instruments.
- Assets: Real estate and other significant assets.
- Spouse’s professional activity: The professional role of the Commissioner’s spouse.
- Membership of boards: Positions held on boards of foundations, NGOs, or other bodies.
Part II: The COCOO Strategic Forensic Protocol
This protocol provides a systematic workflow for any investigation involving a European Commission decision.
Phase 1: Target Identification
- Step 1.1: Identify the Relevant Commissioner: For any given case, identify the Commissioner whose portfolio covers the issue. For our purposes, this will most often be the Commissioner for Competition, the Commissioner for the Internal Market, or the Commissioner responsible for a specific industry (e.g., Energy, Health).
- Step 1.2: Identify their “Cabinet”: On the Commissioner’s profile page, review the members of their “Cabinet” (their team of advisors). The names of these senior advisors are also valuable intelligence for mapping influence networks.
Phase 2: Forensic Document Review
- Step 2.1: Download the Declaration: Navigate to the target Commissioner’s profile and download their “Declaration of Interests” PDF.
- Step 2.2: Systematic Keyword Search: This is the crucial step. Open the PDF and conduct a thorough “Find” (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) search for keywords relevant to your case. This must include:
- The names of all companies involved (e.g., the parties to a merger, the recipient of state aid).
- The names of major investment funds or asset managers known to be active in the sector5.
- The names of parent companies and significant subsidiaries6.
- Keywords for the industry itself (e.g.,
automotive,pharmaceutical).
- Step 2.3: Spousal Conflict Analysis: Pay close attention to the declared professional activity of the Commissioner’s spouse. This is a common and often overlooked source of potential conflicts of interest.
Phase 3: Intelligence Synthesis & Strategic Action
- Step 3.1: Document the Conflict: If a link is found, create a dossier containing the excerpt from the declaration and evidence of the corresponding Commission decision that benefits that financial interest.
- Step 3.2: Formulate the Legal Challenge: This documented conflict becomes a cornerstone of any legal challenge. In a submission to the General Court, we would argue that the decision is void due to a breach of the principle of impartiality, a fundamental tenet of EU administrative law. This directly supports our “JR. CAT, ECJ” strategy77.
- Step 3.3: Inform Public Affairs Strategy: The evidence can be shared (under strict legal guidance) with trusted journalists or Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to raise public and political pressure on the Commission, making it harder for them to defend their decision.
Part III: Application to COCOO Doctrines
This model is designed to provide the high-level evidence needed to challenge the European Commission itself.
| Mind Map Doctrine | Application of the Commissioners’ Declarations Model |
| Challenge Discrpower / JR2COURT | This is the primary application. Finding a conflict of interest in a Commissioner’s declaration is the most powerful evidence available to challenge their discretionary decisions and forms the basis of an appeal to the ECJ8888. |
| EC/CMA, SOSET, State Aid Cases | Before filing any major competition or state aid complaint with the EC, this protocol must be executed to understand the financial interests of the ultimate decision-maker, allowing us to anticipate potential biases9999. |
| PTW (Political Time Window) | The discovery of a significant conflict of interest involving a Commissioner is a major political event. Timing the disclosure of this information to coincide with key events in the EU calendar (e.g., State of the Union address, major legislative votes) will create a political firestorm and maximize our leverage10. |
| Noisefilter | The Commission’s public press releases explaining a decision are “noise.” The Commissioner’s private financial declaration is the “signal” that may reveal the true interests behind that decision11111111. |