Brussels’ Selmayr problem: Too many Germans in top jobs

The promotion for Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief of staff came out of the blue and has been criticized as lacking transparency.

Too many Germans and not enough transparency.

Those were the main complaints among EU diplomats and members of the European Parliament about the surprise appointment of Martin Selmayr, Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief of staff, as the Commission’s top civil servant. The move gives the already-powerful German lawyer even more influence in Brussels and ensures he will stay in the secretary-general post even after the current Commission departs in October next year.

The move means Germans will hold the secretary-general position in three EU institutions. Klaus Welle holds the post at the European Parliament while veteran diplomat Helga Schmid has the equivalent position at the European External Action Service.

“I find these nominations of people representing big countries problematic,” said Frank Engel, a Luxembourgish member of the European People’s Party, the same center-right political family to which Selmayr belongs.

A senior EU diplomat said Selmayr’s nomination was not surprising as “he acted and worked in the interests of the European Commission.”

However, having a third German as secretary-general in the EU is “not possible,” the diplomat said.

“There needs to be a balance of nationalities,” he said. “Three Germans is too much.”

Another EU diplomat went as far as saying that Selmayr’s appointment was a “power grab that gives lots of power to the Germans.”

Selmayr’s supporters argue that he serves the Commission rather than the German government. But with Germany becoming even more powerful inside the EU with Britain’s departure, many nations are concerned that Berlin will hold too much sway inside the bloc’s institutions.

“With all these Germans in town, Berlin is not in the position to get more positions next year,” said another diplomat, even though “Selmayr has not been always in line with [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel.”

Other German nationals who hold key positions in the EU include Werner Hoyer, the president of the European Investment Bank.

Selmayr is also a controversial figure inside the European Council, where officials resent his influence and his no-holds-barred style. “He is so hated that often at the Council I hear people saying that they take a line opposite to him in principle, just because it’s him,” said an EU official.

Some in Brussels also complained about the manner of Selmayr’s appointment, which came out of the blue on Wednesday morning. His nomination was added to the weekly meeting of commissioners at the last minute, a participant said, to avoid the news being leaked and prevent opposition to the move building up.

In an ironic tweet, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group said it was looking forward to seeing the Commission releasing “the results of the competition held for candidates for Secretary General.”

“Congratulations to Martin #Selmayr for winning this open and fair competition!” it added.

“How does the Commission expect people to believe that the EU is capable of change and listening to the voters when the process for appointing to top positions is so opaque,” said Syed Kamall, a British MEP and the president of the ECR group. “The Commission should be looking at ways to make Brussels more transparent and democratic, yet this appointment resembles nothing more than jobs for the boys.”

Dutch Liberal MEP Marietje Schaake described Selmayr as “political, controversial and not a bridge builder.”

“Maybe he should have run for political & accountable office instead,” she tweeted.