Martin Selmayr

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Selmayr was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission in February 2018. Minutes after this appointment, Juncker informed the European Commissioners that the then secretary-general, Alexander Italianer, intended to retire; they had not been previously notified of this. [12] On 1 March 2018, following the formal retirement of Italianer, Selmayr was approved by the College of Commissioners to replace him as secretary-general. [13] Some media sources claimed that support for Selmayr had been "bought", and with others claiming that Selmayr had "forced" his way into the position. [14] The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker reportedly threatened to resign if the controversy led to Selmayr's dismissal. [15] On 25 March 2018 the commission issued a formal statement claiming that Selmayr's promotion was in accordance with legal procedures. [16]

The European Ombudsman contested the lightning-quick appointment of Selmayr from deputy secretary-general to secretary-general, found instances of "maladministration" and concluded that the commission "did not follow EU law". [17] The Ombudsman's statement was rejected by the commission. [18]

In the immediate aftermath of his appointment as secretary-general of the European Commission, it was reported that Selmayr had been editing Wikipedia using his own name from an account using a verified ec.europa.eu email address. [19] The commission stated that he did so to correct specific information (including his work positions as well as political and religious affiliations), "in direct interaction with a Wikipedia editor, who checked and verified all information ...and ensured that it is properly referenced". [20] [21]

Selmayr resigned as secretary-general on 1 August 2019, having held the office for less time than any of his predecessors; it was speculated that the decision by the European Council to nominate Ursula von der Leyen as replacement for Juncker as commission president was a factor behind the decision. He was subsequently appointed as the EU's permanent representative to Austria. [22]

Other activities

Personal life

Selmayr is a Protestant. [20] He is married and has lived in Brussels since 2000. He has been a member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party of Belgium since 2014.

He is the son of the lawyer Gerhard Selmayr; his paternal grandfather was Brigadier General Josef Selmayr, and his maternal grandfather was Lieutenant General Heinrich Gaedcke. Members of the Selmayr family own a castle near Munich. [24]

Books

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References

  1. ↑ "Martin Selmayr secures Commission top job". Politico. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Barker, Alex; Brunsden, Jim (21 February 2018). "Close Juncker aide Martin Selmayr named Brussels' top civil servant" . Financial Times.
  3. ↑ "How Martin Selmayr became EU's top (un)civil servant". POLITICO. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Europas mächtigster Beamter" (in German). Die Welt. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Der Mann, der Prof. Dr. Europa ist" (in German). WirtschaftsWoche. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "Debates - Integrity policy of the Commission, in particular the appointment of the Secretary-General of the European Commission (debate) - Monday, 12 March 2018". www.europarl.europa.eu.
  7. ↑ Hendrik Kafsack: "Der starke Mann hinter Juncker," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , 10 September 2014
  8. ↑ HERSZENHORN, DAVID M. (17 November 2016). "'Monster' at the Berlaymont". Politico. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "Juncker's 'monster' haunts Britain". 25 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "MORGEN EUROPA LIVE EVENT WITH MARTIN SELMAYR". POLITICO. 6 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Chinese spies recruited European politician in operation to divide west" . Financial Times . 15 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Boffey, Daniel (12 March 2018). "Angry MEPs attack Juncker over elevation of his 'monster' Selmayr". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "How Martin Selmayr became EU's top (un)civil servant". politico.eu. 22 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Brussels backlash to Martin Selmayr's appointment". politico.eu. 5 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "Juncker: If Martin Selmayr goes, I go". politico.eu. 22 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "European Commission confirms: Appointment of Mr Selmayr as Secretary-General decided in full compliance with all legal rules" (Press release). European Commission. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  17. ↑ Decision of the European Ombudsman on the European Commission's appointment of a new Secretary-General Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  18. ↑ Opinion of the European Commission on the European Ombudsman's recommendation Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  19. ↑ Steerpike (24 March 2018). "Martin Selmayr busted - by Wikipedia - for editing his own page". The Spectator. London. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  20. 1 2 COMMISSION ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS OF THE BUDGETARY CONTROL COMMITTEE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 4 April 2018, p.38
  21. ↑ Dallison, Paul (4 April 2018). "Why Martin Selmayr edited his Wikipedia page". Politico Europe . Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  22. ↑ Eder, Florian (24 July 2019). "Martin Selmayr's new job: The EU's man in Vienna". POLITICO.
  23. ↑ International Advisory Council GLOBSEC.
  24. ↑ Hundert Jahre Familie Selmayr in Schloßgut Erching. Selbstverlag, 1998.
Martin Selmayr
Martin Selmayr 2014-11-28.jpg
Secretary-General of the European Commission
In office
1 March 2018 –1 August 2019
Government offices
Preceded by Secretary-General of the European Commission
2018–2019		Succeeded by
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