Mr zu Guttenberg was appointed by Vice-President Kroes as her advisor. Mr zu
Guttenberg is not paid for this activity and there is no formal requirement to
produce reports of his activities, which have included sensitive discussions with
or involving people in countries or situation of personal risk. Publicising the
details of such activities or discussions could be potentially harmful for such
persons.
Mr zu Guttenberg has helped to build relationships with key public and private
stakeholders, both with the European Union and in third countries, particularly
in the USA, who are keen to contribute to the success of the No Disconnect
Strategy. He has also provided his own insights into the direction that the
Strategy should take and his inputs have been one ingredient in the work of the
Commission in this important field.
As noted above, Mr zu Guttenberg is not paid for his activity as advisor to Vice-
President Kroes. Only the travel and subsistence costs related to his role as an
advisor were reimbursed. In 2011 and 2012, this amounted to EUR 19.862,01
(EUR 5.532,25 in 2011; EUR 14.329,76 in 2012) from budget line
09.010211.00.02.20.
21.