Martin Selmayr

Martin Selmayr
Secretary-General of the European Commission
Assumed office
1 March 2018
President Jean-Claude Juncker
Preceded by Alexander Italianer
Personal details
Born (1970-12-05) 5 December 1970
Bonn, West Germany (now Germany)
Political party Christian Democratic and Flemish
Relatives Gerhard Selmayr (father)
Josef Selmayr (grandfather)
Alma mater University of Geneva
University of Passau

Martin Selmayr (born 5 December 1970) is a German-Belgian civil servant who has been the Secretary-General of the European Commission since 1 March 2018.[1][2][3] Previously, he was Chief of Staff to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, having previously worked as Juncker's campaign director and head of transition before he took office. Following his appointment as Juncker's chief of staff, Selmayr was widely described as one of the most influential figures within the European Commission.[4][5] After taking office as Secretary-General, he was described in a debate in the European Parliament as "the most powerful bureaucrat in the world."[6] A resident of Brussels since 2000, he is a member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party of Belgium. He is considered by many to be close to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and its leadership, but has never been a member of that party.

Early life and career

Selmayr studied law at the University of Geneva, before earning his PhD at the University of Passau. He worked for the European Central Bank from 1998 to 2000, before joining the media conglomerate Bertelsmann as a legal adviser in Brussels in 2001. He eventually became Bertelsmann's vice president for legal affairs and government relations and head of the Brussels office.

European Commission

In 2004, he first joined the European Commission as a civil servant. He went on to serve in a variety of roles, firstly as Commission Spokesperson for Information Society and Media, before becoming Head of Cabinet to the Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Viviane Reding. He was appointed by the Commission, as a Principal Adviser to the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, and as a Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

In early 2014, Jean-Claude Juncker won the nomination of the European People's Party (EPP) to be their candidate for President of the European Commission. Juncker appointed Selmayr his campaign director, and after the EPP emerged as the largest party in the European Parliament following the election, Selmayr became the head of the Juncker transition team. After taking office as President on 1 November 2014, Juncker made Selmayr his Head of Cabinet and Chief of Staff.[7]

Shortly after his appointment, various media reports began to profile Selmayr as a highly influential figure within EU politics, with Politico describing him as "the most powerful EU chief of staff ever" in November 2016, noting that even Jean-Claude Juncker jokingly referred to Selmayr by the nickname "the Monster."[8] Tomáš Prouza, the Czech State Secretary for European Affairs, stated publicly that “when I need a decision to be taken...I talk to Martin". In October 2017, he was accused in the British media of leaking details relating to Brexit negotiations, though Selmayr denied these accusations.[9][10]

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.[11] On 1 March 2018, following the formal retirement of Italianer, Selmayr was approved by the College of Commissioners to replace him as Secretary-General.[12] Some media sources claimed that support for Selmayr had been "bought", and with others claiming that Selmayr had "forced" his way into the position.[13] The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has threatened to resign if the controversy leads to Selmayr’s dismissal.[14] On 25 March 2018 the Commission issued a formal statement claiming that Selmayr's promotion was in accordance with legal procedures.[15] 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[16] from an account using a verified ec.europa.eu email address.[17] 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".[18][19]

Personal and family life

Selmayr is a Protestant.[18] He is married and has lived in Brussels since 2000. Since 2014 he is a member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party of Belgium.

Martin Selmayr is the son of Gerhard Selmayr, a lawyer, university chancellor and former private secretary to the German Chancellery Chief of Staff. Both his grandfathers were Cold War era generals; his paternal grandfather was Brigadier General Josef Selmayr, the first Director of the West German Military Counterintelligence Service, and his maternal grandfather was Lieutenant General Heinrich Gaedcke, most recently the commander of the Bundeswehr's III Corps. Members of the Selmayr family own a castle near Munich.[20]

Books

  • The Law of The European Central Bank, Oxford: Hart Publishing (2001), with Chiara Zilioli
  • Das Recht der Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion: Die Vergemeinschaftung der Währung, Baden-Baden (2002).
  • La Banca centrale europea, Milan (2007), with Chiara Zilioli

References

  1. ↑ "Martin Selmayr secures Commission top job". Politico. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "Subscribe to read". 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. ↑ European Parliament (debate)
  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, Florian Eder interviews Martin Selmayr".
  11. ↑ Daniel Boffey, "Angry MEPs attack Juncker over elevation of his 'monster' Selmayr", The Guardian, 12 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018
  12. ↑ "How Martin Selmayr became EU's top (un)civil servant". politico.eu. 22 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "Brussels backlash to Martin Selmayr's appointment". politico.eu. 5 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Juncker: If Martin Selmayr goes, I go". politico.eu. 22 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ Steerpike (24 March 2018). "Martin Selmayr busted - by Wikipedia - for editing his own page". The Spectator. London. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  17. ↑ "Benutzer:Martin Selmayr". Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  18. 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
  19. ↑ Dallison, Paul (4 April 2018). "Why Martin Selmayr edited his Wikipedia page". Politico Europe. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  20. ↑ Hundert Jahre Familie Selmayr in Schloßgut Erching. Selbstverlag, 1998.
Government offices
Preceded by
Alexander Italianer		 Secretary-General of the European Commission
2018–present		 Incumbent
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