On Wednesday 7 March in a letter addressed to staff, the trade union representing personnel at the European institutions, Renouveau et Démocratie, said that MEPs were right to express concern about the "parachuting in" of Martin Selmayr, the former head of cabinet for the President of the European Commission, to the post of Commission Deputy Secretary-General but that they should, "begin by concerning themselves with what has happened in their own house in the past" so that they can have an "impartial and meritocratic" institution.
The trade union pointed out that “it was well known and decided in advance” that the current Secretary General of the Parliament, Klaus Welle, from Germany, was parachuted into his role from head of cabinet for the president of Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöterring, between 2007 and 2009, to the highest official post at the Parliament. R&D points out that "the same thing happened" with the appointment of Markus Winkler, from Germany, the former head of cabinet for the president of Parliament, Martin Schulz, to the post of Deputy Secretary-General.
With regard to the absence of opposition to Selmayr’s, appointment, the trade union points out that concerning the two nominations mentioned above, no one at the Parliamentary Office had come forward on the matter. The union said that with regard to the sarcastic comments made about these "naive" candidates who will participate in a recruitment procedure for the appointment of nine managerial posts, "it is by pure coincidence and against any reasonable likelihood that the candidates appointed beforehand will be retained".
At the beginning of March, Renouveau et Démocratie, criticised the ideas expressed by Selmayr about the promotions at the Commission, which have been contradicted since then due to his having been parachuted into the role mentioned above (see EUROPE 11971).
The main political groups have included a debate on the "parachuting" in of Selmayr in to his role, to be included on the agenda of the next plenary session in Parliament. (Original version French by Mathieu Bion)