14/05/2018 (Agence Europe) – Following complaints by Dutch Liberal and French Socialist members of the European Parliament, European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly announced on Monday 14 May that an official investigation had been opened into the rapid appointment of Martin Selmayr, former head of the private office of the European Commission president, to the post of Secretary General of the Commission (see EUROPE 12004). She will ask the Commission how, in future, it will ensure that decisions on the appointment of high-ranking officials are based on the principles of transparency, equality, qualifications and merit. Questions will also be asked of the Commission on how the independence of the civil service can be ensured when officials holding political posts switch to personnel management posts. The deadline for submissions is Friday 15 June. See: https://bit.ly/2KoUrGP . (MB)