Siim Kallas, Commission vice-president for administrative affairs, audit and anti-fraud, sent letters to all 55 special advisers in January, asking them to confirm there was no conflict of interest between their roles. Linkohr did not reply within the deadline so lost his job, a spokesman for Kallas confirmed, but would not be drawn on how many more advisers might be vulnerable.
Linkohr's sacking will mean that the 55 special advisers who shape policy at the highest level in Brussels will be named for the first time, according to Kallas's spokesman
Kallas took action after Corporate Europe Observatory, a transparency pressure group, wrote to him, Piebalgs and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in January, alleging "a serious conflict of interest" between Linkohr's roles.
A spokesman for Piebalgs told the Financial Times that he knew Linkohr only as an energy expert. "He declared that there was no incompatibility between his jobs. The commissioner followed procedure."
