Sunday 11 March 2018

Martin Selmayr: The man at the heart of a Brussels saga

The European Commission has denied allegations of cronyism after a protégé of its president, Jean-Claude Juncker, was given one of the most powerful jobs in the EU civil service.

Martin Selmayr has been appointed Secretary-General of the Commission, the organisation that monitors whether countries are sticking to EU rules, dreams up new laws and runs the Brexit talks day-to-day.

Normal service in the Brussels bubble temporarily came to a halt when journalists became consumed by the saga.

The 40-something former lawyer and media executive from Germany joined the European Commission as a press officer in 2004.

He helped run Jean-Claude Juncker's successful campaign to be selected as president of the commission in 2014 and later became his head of cabinet, Brussels-speak for chief of staff.

He has earned multiple nicknames, like the Monster or the Beast of the Berlaymont, the name of the building where he works.

 Source : bbc

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