Guy Verhofstadt tells Juncker to ‘sort out’ Selmayrgate

The Liberal MEP says perception that Selmayr has been given plum job without following due process is ‘bad for Europe.’

The scandal over the flash promotion of Martin Selmayr to the Commission’s most powerful civil service post is “bad for Europe and bad for the European Commission,” leading liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt told MEPs.

Addressing a debate at the Parliament’s plenary session on Brexit, the former Belgian prime minister directed his opening remarks to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who had opened the session.

“Your former head of Cabinet yesterday has done something that nobody has done ever before here in this house: to unite the whole Parliament, the left and the right,” said Verhofstadt, as Selmayr glowered at him from his position seated behind his former boss. “Its’a not a joke, you have to sort it out,” he added.

Verhofstadt was referring to a plenary debate in which MEPs from all sides of the political spectrum criticized the Commission for the questionable manner in which Selmayr was appointed to the powerful civil service post of secretary-general.  Selmayr’s surprise elevation has led to criticism that rules were bent to the limit in order to install him into a plum job and accusations of the EU institutions behaving like an old boys’ club.

Verhofstadt referred to Selmayr as a “very dedicated European” and “competent civil servant” but said that “the problem that we have is the way the Commission handled this.”

Selmayr, shook his head at Verhoftsadt’s comments — in what appeared to be a sign of his disagreement or irritation.