Selmayr’s days as EU top civil servant may be numbered

Subject

Profile of Martin Selmayr.

Significance

The EU’s independent watchdog, the European Ombudsman’s Office, last week criticised the appointment of Martin Selmayr as secretary-general of the European Commission. It said the Commission failed to follow the correct procedures earlier this year. This raises questions over how important Selmayr is in Brussels and how safe his position is.

Impacts

• The Commission will be under pressure to develop new, transparent procedures for the appointment of the secretary-general.
• Critics of the Commission are likely to exploit the manner of Selmayr’s appointment in the run-up to European elections in 2019.
• Public scrutiny of future personnel decisions at the top of EU institutions is likely to increase.