Verheugen under fire following holiday picture
MARK BEUNDERMAN
17.10.2006 @ 08:47 CET
Guenter Verheugen, the EU's industry commissioner, has been accused of favouritism following the publication of a picture where he walks hand-in-hand with the woman he appointed as his cabinet chief in April.
This week's edition of German weekly magazine Focus shows a picture of the commissioner together with Petra Erler during a holiday on the Baltic coast, according to German press reports.
Guenter Verheugen says the reports amount to "slander" (Photo: European Commission)
The two are seen walking hand-in-hand through the Lithuanian town of Klaipeda on 19 August, prompting German media to ask whether the commissioner was involved in favouritism when appointing Ms Erler to the top job back in April.
Ms Erler, a 48 year old economist, confirmed to Focus that she spent two weeks of holidays in the Baltic region with the commissioner, but declared their relationship does not go beyond friendship.
Mr Verheugen, meanwhile, has brushed off the allegations of favouritism, characterising them as "pure slander" in an interview with tabloid Bild.
"I reject speculations linked to this matter," Mr Verheugen said adding that the rules had been "strictly adhered to."
Hinting at possible legal steps, he added that "we will declare on oath that at the time of the appointment as well as today there has been no relationship which goes beyond friendship."
German media started discussing Mr Verheugen's alleged relationship with Ms Erler after the commissioner earlier this month lashed out at high-level commission bureacrats whom he accused of attempting to rule the commission at the expense of commissioners.
Some German media write that the Erler case would probably never have been raised, had the commissioner not himself launched the strong-worded attack on his own officials.
Other observers note however that Mr Verheugen's attack on "bureaucrats" might have been a manoeuvre to divert attention away from the rumours on the commissioner's alleged affair with Ms Erler, which had already been circulating in Brussels for weeks.
The affair is irregular by normal standards for European media reporting of Brussels, which tends to leave tabloid-type details of commissioners' private lives out of the press.
No irregularities, says commission
Reacting to the news articles, the commission chief spokesperson on Tuesday (17 October) said that there had been no wrongdoing by Mr Verheugen, who is also one of the EU executive's vice-presidents.
"Vice-president Verheugen has clarified that the appointment of his head of cabinet [occurred] on the record of professional excellence and political confidence - that is on fully objective reasons," said the spokesman.
"President [Barroso] has clarified that indeed there is no element that suggests that any rule has not been respected in this respect - so the rules have been observed," he added.