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Martin Selmayr — the divisive chief of staff of former Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker — is preparing a dramatic comeback to Brussels.
According to a document seen by POLITICO, the Commission on Wednesday decided to appoint Selmayr to a newly created position of “conseiller hors classe” (akin to a senior adviser) at the Secretariat-General of the EU executive.
Selmayr, who amassed a legendary amount of power atop the EU executive, earning him the nickname “Monster of the Berlaymont,” was parachuted to the top of the secretariat-general at breathtaking speed during Juncker’s reign, in a much-criticized move. Selmayr’s appointment was later ruled “maladministration” by the EU ombudsman.
Following a vote by the EU Parliament calling on Selmayr to resign, he was sent to Vienna as EU ambassador to Austria in 2019.
However, Wednesday’s decision, signed off by the 27 Commissioners during their weekly meeting, paves the way for Selmayr’s comeback to the EU capital.
For now, he’s biding his time: Selmayr will first complete a semester in academia. Until August 31, according to the same Commission document, Selmayr will be “seconded” to the University of Vienna.
An EU official, like others in this piece speaking on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, told POLITICO that the decision of whether Selmayr will then return to a senior post in Brussels will be taken “in the summer.”
The University of Vienna confirmed that Selmayr will carry out a temporary “guest professorship” in EU law starting February 1.
There is “no speculation beyond 31 August at this stage,” a Commission spokesperson said.
‘Unthinkable’?
Selmayr last year interviewed to become the next EU ambassador to Switzerland, two officials familiar with the interview process told POLITICO. Selmayr did not respond to a request for comment at the time.
However, in the words of one Commission official, a Selmayr return would be “unthinkable” under the current boss of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who runs a tight ship.
Selmayr resigned from his top civil servant role as von der Leyen secured her nomination, a concession to critics worried about too many German officials in the Commission’s highest echelons.
In an interview with a German news outlet last year, Selmayr said he wouldn’t be sad to return to Brussels.
But von der Leyen’s dominance, combined with Selmayr’s controversial leadership tactics, make a Commission comeback nearly impossible, two senior officials in the EU executive said in December. “As long as Ursula sits where she sits, Martin will spin around the EU rather than be in the EU,” one EU official said at the time. “She will keep him safely away not to erode her power. At the same time, he is also smart enough to realize that he has to stay away for now.”
Barbara Moens contributed to this article.
