“Billions”, “millions” – Inflation. Doch zurück zum Anfang. Aus der ersten Ansprache von Frau Kroes als für die Generaldirektion Wettbewerb – Kartellrecht und staatliche Beihilfen – zuständiger Kommissarin im Jahr 2004:
I know that some people had doubts that someone who is passionate about business and knows it inside out could act with the impartiality and sense of fair play needed. A few went further and suggested that I would hold back from taking tough action against businesses that violate the competition rules because I was “too close to business interests”, that I would be some kind of “pussy cat”.
Fünf Jahre später (gestern) resümiert Frau Kroes ihre Amtszeit so:
At the end of the day, I would have loved to do more. But I would say strongly that we prevent billions in harm, recover billions in illegal aid and issues fines well above the 100 million Euros a year it costs to run the Commission’s competition system.
Grob überschlagen waren es kartellrechtliche Geldbußen in Höhe von rund € 9 Mrd. Aber “would have loved to do more”? Weiter aus der Rede von Kroes bei dem Competition 09 Summit in Brüssel, 3. Dezember 2009:
In hindsight perhaps we should have investigated credit rating agencies also. I was shocked to learn, for example, that in 2008 those agencies gave triple AAA ratings to a mere 12 companies worldwide; at the same time they gave AAA rating to 64,000 financial products. It’s clear now that their sector wasn’t working as it should have.
Noch im Abgang ein Faustschlag. “Pussy cat” – das wird Frau Kroes niemand vorhalten, wenn sie im kommenden Jahr ihr neues Portfolio übernimmt.
Kommentare