EU: The EU's new Competition Commissioner, Ms Neelie Kroes, has told the European Parliament that she will carry out her duties impartially despite extensive past links with business.
The former Dutch transport minister claimed that her experience on the board of more than a dozen companies would prove to be an advantage in her new job of policing mergers and takeovers and ensuring that companies played by fair competition rules.
"My role is that of a referee, but do we ask a referee in football not to like the game? Not to be interested in all its aspects? We demand impartiality in applying the rules, but we also want our referees to know the game inside out," she said.
Ms Kroes, whose nomination is the most controversial of Mr José Manuel Barroso's Commission, has sold all her shares and stock options and promised not to engage in any business activity after she leaves the Commission.
During her first year in office, Ms Kroes will not take part in any decisions concerning companies for which she worked. After that, she will not participate in decisions concerning action taken by those companies while she worked for them.
In one controversial case, Ms Kroes, when serving as Dutch minister of transport, had approved a grant to a firm to clean up Rotterdam harbour. The job was paid for but never carried out and two businessmen went to jail. Ms Kroes was never linked to the criminal activity.
Socialist MEPs accused Ms Kroes of being too vague in her replies and criticised her reluctance to step down if a majority of MEPs opposed her appointment.
"In general, we are very disappointed by the presentation of the Commissioner-designate as most of her answers were very vague and evasive," the Socialist group leaders said in a statement.
"That includes her readiness to withdraw her candidacy in the event of non-confirmation by the hearing . . . She also declined to take workers' interests systematically into account when dealing with competition matters, especially mergers."
Dublin MEP Mr Eoin Ryan however said that most members of the committee who interviewed Ms Kroes were impressed by what they saw. "I thought she was good. She seemed to be reasonably well informed," Mr Ryan said. "When she was not, she put her hands up and said so. Generally speaking, people felt she'll be able to do the job well."