Nieuwe Deense eurocommissaris krijgt groen licht van EU-juristen (en)

EU lawyers on Wednesday (18 August) came to the rescue of incoming EU agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

The Dane was caught recently in a political storm over possible conflict of interests.

As owner of a large farm which receives EU subsidies, Ms Fischer Boel, it was claimed, could have a personal financial interest in decisions for which she will responsible as Commissioner in charge of the EU agricultural budget.

EU lawyers, however, have dismissed the charge - broad up by Danish opposition politicians - after receiving documentation from Ms Fischer Boel's accountants, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

Mrs Fischer Boel said her husband is running the farm, paying the taxes and receiving the EU subsidies.

"You cannot deny the spouse of a Commissioner to work or to make money. We have been assured that Fischer Boel is not personally profiting from the farming since 1993", Commission spokesman Stefaan De Rynck said.

"There are no further steps that she can take under Danish law to put more distance between her ownership of the land and the exploitation of the land for agricultural purposes", said the spokesman.

Now, as with all incoming Commissioners, the Dane has to make a formal declaration of all her outside activities, plus those of her spouse, and her financial activities.

The new Commission, led by José Manuel Durao Barroso, will start its work on 1 November - but first has to be approved by the European Parliament.

The new team will have its first informal session tomorrow in Brussels (Friday 20 August) - when they sit face-to-face for the first time as a group of 25.