During a plenary debate in Strasbourg on his rapid route to the powerful position of secretary-general, representatives from every political corner — left and right, federalist and Euroskeptic — lined up to admonish the Commission for a maneuver that to many looked like a bare-faced stitch-up. [...]
“What better to give grist to the mill of the Euroskeptics,” said Françoise Grossetête of the European People’s Party, Selmayr’s own political group. “This discredits an institution that we know is made up mainly of very talented professional people.”
The Parliament can’t remove Selmayr from his office but it can add fuel to a controversy that started three weeks ago when his surprise promotion was presented to the commissioners — who promptly waved it through with apparently little scrutiny.
For Selmayr and his patron Jean-Claude Juncker, the action in Strasbourg adds an unwelcome extra dimension to criticism that has been building in Brussels and beyond. Euroskeptics in the U.K. have pointed out the affair confirms their perception of the EU institutions as an old boys’ club while the Hungarian government has blasted the Commission over its double standards and “preaching” about the rule of law. [...]
Prior to the debate, MEPs voted unanimously to give the Budgetary Control Committee the task of investigating the procedure of Selmayr’s appointment and on the basis of the committee’s work, they agreed to vote on a resolution at a plenary later this year.
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