The latest move of a senior European Commission antitrust official to a private law firm has prompted a probe by the EU’s Ombudsman, who is worried about conflicts of interest.

Revolving doors between the private and public sector can have a “corrosive effect” on public trust, fueling euroscepticism and undermining EU interests, said Emily O’Reilly, in a letter published today (22 May).

In an 8 May press release, law firm Paul, Weiss announced the hire of Henrik Morch, a director in the Commission’s antitrust arm with a 30-year career.

The New York-based law firm cited Morch’s “extensive experience” in handling merger cases as a benefit to the law firm’s clients – a perhaps unfortunate turn of phrase that raised particular hackles for O’Reilly.

“The clear impression is that the Commission has allowed one of its senior officials to work for a non-EU company that anticipates major benefits from that inside knowledge,” said O’Reilly, who investigates suspected maladministration in EU institutions.

“As this move was not forbidden, the Commission should, without delay, publish the restrictions it has placed on the move,” added her letter, dated 17 May.

To make matters worse, she said, Paul, Weiss hasn’t been clear about its Brussels activities, and the Commission hasn’t said if it will impose any restrictions on Morch’s work with it.

O’Reilly called for the Commission to reform its practices in a probe which closed in 2022 – and which specifically concluded that officials from the competition directorate-general, DG COMP, should be banned from moving to work at private firms that work in related issues.

That followed a number of controversial hires, including the move of Carles Esteva Mosso, a deputy director-general at DG COMP, to become an antitrust partner at Latham & Watkins, and that of Adam Farkas, executive director of the EU’s banking agency, to lobby group the Association for Financial Markets in Europe.

Recent research by Transparency International, published just weeks before the bloc goes to the polls, shows that MEPs collectively earn millions of euros from jobs additional to their lawmaker salary.

Those extra paid positions are permitted under current rules – but the lobby group cites concerns over conflicts of interest, particularly when MEPS work for company that lobby the EU.

Morch, the Commission and Paul, Weiss did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The extreme heatwave in Mexico is not only affecting the environment, it’s wreaking havoc on the howler monkeys and causing them to fall dead out of trees, the Associated Press reported. 

“They were falling out of the trees like apples. They were in a state of severe dehydration, and they died within a matter of minutes,” wildlife biologist Gilberto Pozo described what he witnessed to the AP. 

In the city of Tecolutilla, Tabasco state, it was reported that the dead monkeys started appearing on Friday, when a local volunteer fire-and-rescue squad showed up with five of the monkeys in the bed of the truck.

So far, at least 83 howler monkeys have been found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. However, many others were rescued by local residents, with five being rushed to a local veterinarian for immediate care.

NEVADA WILDLIFE MYSTERY SOLVED, SUSPECTED WOLVES WERE ACTUALLY COYOTES

“They arrived in critical condition, with dehydration and fever,” Dr. Sergio Valenzuela told the AP. “They were as limp as rags. It was heatstroke.”

At least nine cities in Mexico have set temperature records as of May 9, with Ciudad Victoria, in the border state of Tamaulipas, registering 117 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the AP. The heatwave has been blamed on the deaths of at least 26 people since March, the AP reported.

Valenzuela said that the monkeys appeared to be on the mend, stating that they were “recovering, aggressive, and biting again.” 

The howler monkey, which is the “loudest of all the monkeys,” is known for its loud whooping bark or roar, according to National Geographic.

Pozo added that many local residents wanted to help the monkeys, even adopt them, but he cautioned them on this.

WILD MONKEYS SPOTTED ROAMING FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOODS: ‘ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Howler monkeys sit in a cage at a veterinarian’s clinic after they were rescued amid extremely high temperatures in Tecolutilla, Tabasco state, Mexico, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Luis Sanchez)

“The truth is that babies are very delicate, they can’t be in a house where there are dogs or cats, because they have pathogens that can potentially be fatal for howler monkeys,” Ponzo described, stressing they must be rehabilitated and released into the wild. 

Pozo’s group has set up a special recovery stations for the monkeys and is working to organize a team of specialized veterinarians to give the monkeys the care they need.

Howler monkeys also get almost all the water they need from the food they eat, which is another reason the heatwave has been detrimental to their survival. 

Pozo stated that several factors led to the death of the monkeys, including high heat, drought, and forest fires.

THAI WILDLIFE OFFICIALS TO REMOVE HUNDREDS OF MONKEYS FROM POPULAR TOURIST SPOT

A howler monkey sits inside a cage with others at a veterinarian clinic after they were rescued amid extremely high temperatures in Tecolutilla, Tabasco state, Mexico, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Luis Sanchez)

Days after the monkeys began to drop dead, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged the issue, saying he had heard about it on social media. 

He then congratulated Valenzuela on his efforts and said the government would seek to support the work.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.