Brussels ( Brussels Morning) – Commission President Von der Leyen faces bias allegations for appointing German MEP Pieper as SME Envoy, sparking concerns over nomination transparency.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is mired in a row over bias, after assigning German MEP Markus Pieper as Envoy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, a five-year position with a stipend of nearly 17,000 euros a month.
Von der Leyen Under Fire for Alleged Bias in MEP Pieper’s Nomination
Some of the highest-ranking individuals in Brussels, including the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, and the French commissioner Thierry Breton, have reported to her to complain that the designation of the German MEP Markus Pieper as a special adviser “has initiated questions about the transparency and neutrality of the nomination process”. German MEP Markus Pieper who belongs to the same CDU party as Von der Leyen, was designated recently as special envoy for SMEs, but MEPs have already doubted whether he was the highest-performing nominee in the selection process. According to the news, the job has a hierarchy within the commission.
What does the EU Commission Say?
The commission has supported the position saying it “has every confidence in the fact that the process took place in full compliance with procedures”. The letter was also marked by Nicolas Schmit, the jobs and social rights commissioner, and Paolo Gentiloni, the commissioner for the economy.
Implication for Von der Leyen’s Political Career
According to the Guardian, the intervention of senior EU politicians in the debate is the first sign of danger for Von der Leyen’s candidacy for a second five-year tenure at the helm of the commission. She was parachuted into the presidential candidacy procedure as a midpoint candidate in 2019, so this is the foremost time she has had to conduct a campaign, which officially kicks off in Greece on Sunday.
Up to now, Ursula von der was deemed a dead cert for the job. She has already been chosen as the sole candidate for the job by the European People’s Party, the umbrella body of EU centre-right parties to which the CDU party belongs and the biggest group in the European parliament.
Member states are also anticipated to support her. But her position is far from assured, with the four signatories of the letter arriving from non-EPP parties. Her reappointment after the EU elections will almost definitely need approval by those parties – Borrell’s party, the socialists, and Breton’s group, the liberals – to receive a majority vote in September.
Concerns Raised Over Fairness
MEPs have already voiced concern and tabled a documented question to the commission asking how Pieper achieved in the internal and external assessments corresponded with the two other shortlisted applicants, who were both female, and whether the judgment was “indeed based on merit, gender, and geographical credit”, stated the letter from Breton and his colleagues preached to Von der Leyen and the college of commissioners.
The EurActiv reported that the Czech MEP Martina Dlabajová and Sweden’s Anna Stellinger “both achieved higher than Pieper in the reviews by at least 30%”, while Transparency International has called for an inquiry into a potentially defective appointment process. In the letter Breton and his colleague state: “Given that the reaction to the written inquiry by MEPs is a concern for the commission as a whole, we think it appropriate for the college to collectively examine the answer to these allegations as well as the potential impact on the next stages in the recruitment process.”
In a symbol of the political rivalries that are now at recreation before the EU elections in June, the commission representative Eric Mamer pointed out that Breton was conferred over the process. He is widely noticed as close to Emmanuel Macron, whose party is aligned with the liberal party in the EU parliament, and has earlier criticised Von der Leyen, leading some to indicate he could yet appear as a contender for her job.
