The European Ombudsman has opened an inquiry into the European Commission's appointment of Siemens chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe as its special envoy for artificial intelligence, following a complaint from transparency organisations that his continued leadership of the German industrial group compromises the role's independence.
The appointment that triggered the probe
In June 2026, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen named Snabe, a 60-year-old Dane, as the EU's first AI special envoy. The unpaid position runs until the end of March 2027 and tasks him with producing a public report on AI infrastructure, frontier AI technologies and industrial AI adoption. The announcement came weeks after Siemens participated in a lobbying campaign that contributed to a significant weakening of the EU's AI Act during its final legislative stages.
Siemens and the AI Act lobbying effort
Siemens was among the large industrial companies that pushed for narrower obligations on so-called general-purpose AI models and for exemptions for AI systems used in industrial contexts. The final text of the AI Act, adopted in 2024, reflected several of those demands. Critics argue that placing the chairman of a company that lobbied against strict rules in charge of advising on how those rules should be implemented creates a structural conflict of interest.
NGOs take the case to the Ombudsman
A coalition of transparency-focused non-governmental organisations, including Transparency International EU, wrote to the Commission raising concerns about Snabe's dual role. When the Commission did not reply, they brought the matter to the European Ombudsman. Teresa Anjinho confirmed on 10 September 2026 that her office had opened an inquiry into the Commission's handling of the appointment. The probe is formally directed at the Commission's failure to respond to the NGOs' letter, but it brings the underlying conflict-of-interest questions into the open.
Parliamentary and civil society reaction
Kim van Sparrentak, the Dutch MEP who led the Greens' work on the AI Act, described her reaction as "just: Wow." She said: "They fought hard against AI rules for themselves, they lobby against technological sovereignty, and now they get to decide how we are going to integrate AI." Shari Hinds of Transparency International EU went further, stating that the appointment "should simply never have occurred in the first place" and calling on the Commission to rescind it immediately.
Commission defence and transparency questions
The Commission has repeatedly defended the appointment by emphasising that Snabe's report will be publicly available and "subject to public scrutiny," and that his advice will be "visible and accessible to all." However, requests for documents related to the appointment process, submitted by journalists and by European Parliament lawmakers, have been denied. The refusal to release internal correspondence has fuelled suspicion that the Commission is avoiding scrutiny of how the decision was made.
The Rhine Group connection
Snabe's external engagements extend beyond Siemens. He was initially listed as a board member of the Rhine Group, a newly formed network of economists, chief executives and academics that plans to commission research on energy, science, capital markets and AI. His name was removed from the group's website after questions arose about his exact role, adding to the perception of overlapping interests. The Commission has not clarified whether Snabe's Rhine Group involvement was considered during the vetting process.
Why this matters
Background: how the envoy role was created
What happens next
The essentials
The case marks the first time the European Ombudsman has examined a Commission special envoy appointment for conflict-of-interest concerns. Its outcome could set a precedent for how the EU staffs high-level advisory roles in fast-moving regulatory domains where industry expertise and industry interests are difficult to separate.
People mentioned
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Shari Hinds
Organisations
European Commission · European Ombudsman · Siemens · Transparency International EU · European Parliament
