The European Ombudsman has today opened an inquiry into the European Commission’s appointment of Jim Hagemann Snabe to the newly-created position of AI envoy.
In June, Transparency International EU, alongside Corporate Europe Observatory, The Good Lobby and LobbyControl, sent a letter to the Commission detailing serious concerns about the appointee’s potential conflicts of interest. These included:
- His chairmanship of the supervisory board of Siemens, a company with considerable stakes in the AI market
- His membership of the board at Bloom Energy Corporation, a corporation that provides on-site power generation for data centres
- His membership of the board of the investment fund Temasek Holdings, which holds investments across the digital industry.
We have yet to receive a reply from the European Commission and welcome the EU Ombudsman’s request that it respond to us.
Shari Hinds, Senior Policy Officer for EU Political Integrity at Transparency International EU, said:
An appointment riddled with so many potential conflicts of interest should simply never have occurred in the first place. It is right that the EU Ombudsman has now opened an inquiry, but worrying that the Commission has so far still not addressed these ethics risks. The Commission should immediately rescind the appointment.
Bram Vranken, campaigner and researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory, said:
Mr Snabe’s appointment represents an extraordinary conflict of interest and undoubtedly violates the Commission’s own ethics rules. In addition to his numerous board positions, Mr Snabe owns millions of euros worth of stock in AI companies and stands to benefit from his position as AI envoy. It is clear that his position is untenable, and should be revoked.
The Commission’s refusal to answer critical questions is shocking. The Ombudsman inquiry is a welcome step in addressing these concerns.
