On Wednesday 18 April, the European Commission announced that Martin Selmayr would not be resigning from his post as secretary general. This came after the European Parliament had called for a reassessment of the procedure leading to the express nomination of President Juncker’s former chef de cabinet.
“The Commission welcomes the fact that the resolution recognises that – under the treaties – all EU institutions are autonomous in matters related to their organisation and personnel policy. Moreover, the resolution rightly states that the Commission decision to appoint its new secretary general cannot be revoked and we will not do so, as we respect the staff regulations”, said Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for the Budget, in a press release.
The same day, MEPs adopted the proposal for a resolution on the policy of integrity within the Commission submitted to it by the budgetary control committee (see EUROPE 12003). The resolution – which criticises the procedure used for appointing Selmayr - does not call for the secretary general to resign and, even less, does not call for sanctions to be taken against the Commission.
Parliament calls on the Commission to review its procedures by the autumn and to review the procedure used in the light of the new internal regulations.
With just 18 months left in the Juncker Commission term of office, the EPP and S&D groups did not want a crisis that would derail Brexit negotiations. “Calling for the immediate resignation of the secretary general would not have been a responsible thing to do given the current climate. This would have made the Commission fragile at a time when Europe more than ever needs stability and serenity in order to face the challenge of Brexit and the rise in euroscepticism”, said Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France), who is of the same political mould as Juncker and Selmayr.
At the end of 2019, the next president of the Commission could, if she or he so wishes, appoint a replacement for Selmayr.
It should be noted that MEPs have taken on board an amendment from the Greens/EFA group which calls on the Commission to note the fact that this nomination procedure and communication to the public have been “detrimental to its reputation”. The same thing is true for an amendment from the ECR Group which notes serious concern (of Parliament) regarding Juncker’s “impartiality and objectivity”. Juncker had publicly threatened to resign if his appointment of the new secretary general were not honoured (see EUROPE 11988).
The Parliament, on the other hand, rejected the amendments of the political groups calling on its own secretary general, Klaus Welle of Germany, to reopen the ongoing procedure on the nomination of nine directors within Parliament.
Oettinger reiterated his proposal to organise an “interinstitutional round table” on how to improve procedures for appointing senior officials “in order to ensure the excellence and independence of the EU public service”. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)