2011: Jose Manuel Barroso (l) was chief of the European Commission; Jean-Claude Juncker was prime minister of Luxembourg; Jyrki Katainen (r) was prime minister of Finland. Seven years later Juncker has succeeded Barroso, and Katainen is EU commissioner (Photo: European Commission)

Interview

Katainen explains: My friend Barroso did not lobby me

EU Political

by Peter Teffer, Brussels,

Jose Manuel Barroso was not lobbying for Goldman Sachs during a meeting he had with vice-president of the European Commission Jyrki Katainen in a Brussels hotel, according to the Finnish commissioner.

"We are friends. We know each other from years back. I always meet friends whoever they are," Katainen told EUobserver in an interview on Tuesday (20 February).

Katainen came under intense scrutiny earlier Tuesday after the publication of a letter in which he confirmed the meeting wi...