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

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