Spiegel: How the European Commission President Won Over Trump

Of course, it's still too early to tell how long that agreement will hold. Many fear all it would take is one nasty tweet from Trump for the whole thing to come unspun again. And then comes the fact that the deal does nothing to solve the many other problems the Europeans have with this unpredictable American president. The man who, for now at least, seems prepared to call a kind of cease-fire in the trade conflict, but still wants to abolish NATO, threatens Iran and dismisses climate change as nonsense largely promulgated by Europeans. [...]

One day before his meeting with Trump, Juncker sent Martin Selmayr, the European Commission's general secretary, to meet with Kudlow. The two drafted a few paragraphs at a hotel in Washington they could agree upon. These were the cornerstones of the deal that would later emerge. [...]

When he arrived at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Juncker still didn't know whether this plan was also liked by the president. It's a familiar pattern with Trump. In the end, he often follows the advice of the last adviser he has met with. For the Europeans, this raised the question of whether that person this time was economic adviser Kudlow or a hardliner like Commerce Secretary Ross. [...]

Ultimately, the outcome of the Washington meeting turned out to be a victory for moderates in the EU over those urging a hardline trade policy against the U.S., especially in France. Shortly before Juncker's visit, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire had declared: "We're in the midst of a trade war." He refused to discuss any reduction in levies until the U.S. withdrew its punitive tariffs. "We refuse to negotiate with a gun pointed to our heads," he recently said.

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Politico: Commission pushes Council to revise migration plan

Commission Secretary-General Martin Selmayr, acting on behalf of President Jean-Claude Juncker, stirred controversy last week by proposing a draft leaders’ statement for the mini summit that was clearly intended for the same purpose: to supplant the draft conclusions on migration issued to national capitals just a day earlier by Council President Donald Tusk.

The move infuriated the Italian government, which was angered at the content of the text, as well as Council officials, who were annoyed by the substance of the statement but also the incursion onto their turf. The Commission text was torpedoed at the behest of German Chancellor Angela Merkel after Italian Prime Minster Giuseppe Conte threatened to boycott the mini summit. [...]

Among the tasty morsels: a pledge of an additional €500 million for the EU’s Africa Trust Fund, money for the next tranche in the €3-billion facility for refugees in Turkey, and a plan for “reception,” or “welcome,” or “disembarkation” centers outside the EU for processing migrants who are rescued or intercepted at sea. [...]

And, in an added bit of grandstanding, the Commission also proposed setting an ambitious target for increasing the numbers of returned illegal migrants: “The European Council calls on the member states to take immediate action to achieve an EU return rate of at least 70 percent by the end of 2019.”

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Politico: Macron and Merkel talk … Martin Selmayr

Juncker, who told EPP colleagues Thursday that “if [Selmayr] goes, I go,” has faced sustained questions ever since about how his key ally — widely admired and feared in Brussels for his ruthless reputation — managed to secure a position that will see him stay at the apex of EU power after Juncker’s own mandate expires in 2019.

The affair caused such outrage that after sending more than a hundred questions to the Commission, the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee will hold a public hearing on the issue next week with Günther Oettinger, the human resources commissioner. MEPs are also set to vote on a resolution on the nomination of Selmayr on April 19 (although no matter the result, they can’t do anything about his appointment). [...]

Macron made a plea for transparency and praised the free press, admitting he “fully understood” the reactions to Selmayr’s super-fast promotion. He also encouraged journalists and the European Parliament to continue examining the issue. [...]

“To anyone who thinks because he’s a German citizen that he does what suits Germany, that’s not the impression that we have,” Merkel told reporters. “He makes decisions in a very European way. He’s also someone who pays attention to efficiency when it comes to decisions — who makes sure decisions are actually implemented. And I very much welcome that because some processes in Europe take a very long time

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Politico: MEPs on Selmayrgate: It ‘destroys’ EU credibility

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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Politico: How Martin Selmayr became EU’s top (un)civil servan

Selmayr has won fame and disdain and spurred envy and fury by deploying ruthless autocracy in the name of European democracy. His sudden election ensures the German lawyer and avowed European federalist will retain a perch at the apex of power in Brussels beyond the end of Juncker’s mandate in 2019 — for as long as he desires, or until a new set of commissioners dares to try to remove him.  [...]

In more than three years as Juncker’s chief of staff, Selmayr has shown time and again that he would fit in well with the cast of ruthless characters in the political drama. He has steamrolled higher-ranking commissioners, blocked legislation, upended negotiations and picked fights with officials from national governments. [...]

Selmayr’s consolidation of power sets the stage for more clashes with the European Council, the body representing the governments of the EU’s member countries. A number of Council officials view Selmayr as poisonous and claim he created a fight in his own mind between the institutions over who would lead the Brexit negotiations, leading to the rushed appointment of Michel Barnier as chief negotiator. [...]

Some EU diplomats griped angrily that Selmayr’s election will concentrate too much power in the hands of Germany — already the predominant power in the EU. The secretary-general of the European Parliament, Klaus Welle, is also German, as is Helga Schmid, the secretary-general of the European External Action Service.

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BBC4 Profile: Martin Selmayr

As the EU commission meets to discuss the progress of Brexit negotiations, Mark Coles profiles the man some say really runs Europe, Martin Selmayr - right hand man to the President of the European Commission.

Just what impact is the passionate European having on the process of Britain leaving the EU? And does he deserve his reputation as the 'Monster at the Berlaymont'?

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