Brussels Brief | 43rd Edition
9–15 March 2018
It’s the 43rd Edition of Brussels Brief* and we are back with ‘monstar’ civil servants, a trade game of chicken and dangerous fidget spinners.
“Indispensable”, “untouchable”, we all have someone like that in the office. Whether it is the boss, the boss’s boss or the boss’ assistant there is always a person that acts as the bottleneck in an organisation. Martin Selmayr, the so-called ‘Rasputin’ of the Berlaymont has been under scrutiny before, but nothing as serious or as consequential as his most recent promotion.
After two weeks of media attention and a thorough grilling from MEPs the excuse that this is a ‘political witch hunt’ of Juncker’s ‘political commission’ won’t cut it this time. Indeed if they have nothing to hide, and if everything has been ‘done by the book’, then they should embrace the opportunity to open their doors to investigators and transparently unveil what led to Herr Selmayr’s appointment. As the future head of the corps running the supposed ‘guardian of the treaties’, this is only appropriate. As for Martin himself, if the reports of him are true, he surely has thick enough skin to put up with the naysayers. However, if the credibility of the EU he loves is to survive, there had better be nothing untoward going on.
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The Brussels Brief Team 👨👩👦 ✌️ 🇪🇺
Collated and Curated over ‘Le Mellotron 24/7’ on Youtube and a cup of hot something ☕ in Brussels Brief HQ.
- Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP
Dutch MEP and Selmayr-outragée on Commissioner Gunther Oettinger’s defence of Martin Selmayr’s appointment as Commission Secretary-General.
🔝 FRONT PAGE — Top News This Week
Selmayrgate Part 2. Martin Selmayr is the gift that keeps on giving…or the monster that keeps on growing. After what started as an outrage amongst journalists between the journalists of the Brussels bubble last week, has turned into a fully fledged international media sensation. In a spell of unprecedented stardom for an EU civil servant, Selmayr has now come under the scrutiny of the European Parliament where MEPs have used this week’s plenary to speak out against what they see as a move that destroys the EU’s credibility. Particularly critical was the impassioned Dutch ALDE MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld who demanded that the European Ombudsman investigate the promotion to Secretary-General, the raison d’etre for the furore. In a session, that included questioning of the Human Resources Commissioner for Gunther Oettinger (a fellow German and no stranger to speculation himself) who defended the procedure of the promotion as “by the book” and the man himself saying that Selmayr was ‘not a monster’. Comforting, but it goes against every account of what has been going on on the 13th floor of the Berlaymont during his years as Juncker’s chief of staff and who now will be at the head of the Commission’s 33,000 strong workforce. Despite Oettinger’s defence, the EP Budget committee will now take this forward in what looks like an issue that goes beyond the individual but into the obscure processes that hold the Juncker commission in place and potentially threatens the integrity of EU. [Brussels Brief, New York Times, Politico Europe, The Times, Euractiv, Europtopics]
No country for corrupt men. The man who once called a group of reporters “dirty, anti-Slovak prostitutes” has now offered to resign as Prime Minister of his country. Robert Fico made the declaration last night after protests erupted in Slovakia last week after the murder of the journalist Jan Kuciak, who was investigating alleged political corruption, shook the country. The protests, the largest in the country since the end of communism (40,000 people), came about from anger at Fico’s government and have already claimed one major resignation, by way of the Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák as well several Slovak officials who had appeared in the dead reporter’s unfinished story which explored links between the country’s top brass and factions of the Italian mafia. As speculation of early elections piled in, it was only a matter of time until Fico himself faced the music. No one has yet been charged in the killing of Kuciak. [Politico Europe, Euronews, EUobserver, Eurotopics, Euractiv, Time]
💸 ITS THE ECONOMY, STUPID — Top Economic, Trade and Innovation News
Will he, won’t he?… Like the origins of his hair, Donald Trump’s policies and attitude towards the EU are an enigma only he purportedly knows the answer to. If the EU retaliates by taxing breakfast, Trump will raise taxes on European cars…maybe. In fact so far the Trump train is headed for an unknown destination as Mexico, Canada and Australia have already been exempted and Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has gently tried to remind her US counterparts that the US and the EU are allies, at least in name, while rallying Japan to bring some calm to the negotiation table. Maybe we will have a trade war by next week, maybe nothing will happen. Tune in next week for the next episode … [Foreign Policy, USA Today, Time, CNBC, Voice of America]
Send more money. The Romanian Parliament voted in favour of joining the eurozone by 2024 this week hoping to make it the 20th member. But as the years’ long eurozone crisis has demonstrated more reforms are needed. MEPs voted to increase the next 7-year budget starting in 2021 to 1.3% of GDP up from 1% and the EU must be able to raise its own taxes according to Isabelle Thomas MEP. But even the small budget increase was deemed unrealistically ambitious by budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger. However, talks of reforms are not in short supply as reminded by Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa who supports radical reforms and with a new German government. Maybe the time has really come for a shakeup of the eurozone. [Business Insider, Euractiv, New Europe]
Bonus: Don’t fumble your fidget. Worried parents have known for years that fidget spinners meant trouble but now it is official: they’re a health hazard. No wonder kids stay indoors these days. [Euractiv]
🇬🇧 STATE OF THE (DIS)UNION — Brexit Stories
Expensive Brexit Roundup. The EU went easy on the UK this week after a Russian double agent was attacked with a nerve agent in the English town of Salisbury allegedly by Russian state operatives. However, business is business and as the Brexit clock keeps ticking it seems that another impasse has been broken. The UK, initially reticent in handing over the cash it owes to the EU budget, seems to have settled the handsome amount of £37.1 billion (approx €41.9 billion) in the middle of most projections. The UK Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the figure amidst a budget update on an economic outlook that put the UK at a growth rate at a modest 1.5% for the foreseeable future. The impact of Brexit was not mentioned, but industries from energy to financial services keep warning on the prospect of a very expensive Brexit for the UK. [Reuters, US News, Bloomberg, Insurance Journal]
- The generous monthly bonus Martin Selmayr was prepared to give retiring European Commissioners as a ‘transition allowance’ of up to two-thirds of their basic salary for two years….tax free
🏢 BRUXELLES MA BELLE — News about the city
Pay gaps. According to a recent study by the Perelman Centre of the Faculty of Law and Criminology at ULB, male lawyers in Belgium make twice as much as female ones. The research, which was sponsored by the Bar Association, included over 5,000 French-speaking lawyers in the Belgian capital. While not entirely the reason, part of the pay difference stems from the fact that there is a differing age pyramid for female and male. Still, this does not solve the issue and what’s more, the study found that it is after the age of 40, where most men are, that pay increases significantly. [The Brussels Times]
Sniff the cold season away. This year’s flu epidemic seems to be worsening since its beginning over 9 weeks ago. Statistics have shown that the number of individuals visiting their family doctor is 700 per 100,000 in the population. There are pharmacists who give flu shots but often times these are prescribed to the most vulnerable: children, the elderly and the severely ill. Looking to avoid being the next victim of the flu? Wash your hands several times throughout the day says the doctor. [The Bulletin]
✂️ EXTRA — From The Cutting Room Floor
Fire and Fury. Anti-muslim sentiment has been on the rise in recent years andMuslims are repeatedly discriminated against based on their religious beliefs. This is probably in no small part caused by the massive flow of refugees emanating from Middle Eastern countries embroiled in gruesome civil wars. But Europe should consider its own pouring gasoline on the Levantine fire as weapons exports to Arabic countries have soared in recent years with Saudi Arabia having increased imports by 225%. And while Germany has recently stopped exports of weapons, the UK alone saw weapons sales increase by 37% while France saw a 27% increase. The first rule of fixing something is to stop making it worse. something the arms industry and governments should keep in mind. [Euronews, Pacific Standard]
Zōon politikon/a. Last Thursday was International Women’s Day but how do women actually fare in European politics? As always the answer is in the eye of the beholder. France has turbo leapt forward when it comes to ministers, but Iceland and Sweden rank supreme when it comes to parliamentary representation, while Hungary falls dead last on both measures. But gender equality is more than political representationand must be included when negotiating Free Trade Agreements in the future according to MEP Malin Björk (GUE-NGL, SE) as gender inequalities permeate all aspects of life. [Euronews, Euractiv]
💡 OPINION — Top minds muse on the European project
The borne identity? At the brink of yet another crisis concerning its identity, the European Union is once again dealing with varying forces. On one side you have the East and West divide, between many countries that have recently come into the Union, and many that have been there from the start, or close to. There is then the economic divide between North and South, growing tensions over political and social priorities, not to mention the euro crisis, refugees and an ageing population. Catherine E. De Vries argues that the recent skepticism overcoming Europe has different strands and roots, depending on which side of Europe you come from. What’s the winning strategy? Perhaps not a one-size-fits-all. [Oxford University Press]
🎧 PRESS PLAY — Media Corner
🔊 Podcast of the Week. Ryan Heath talks to Marianne Thyssen, the European Commissioner for employment on all things, jobs, globalisation and… Selmayr. [Politico EU Confidential]
🎥 Video(s) of the Week. Italian Hipster Fascists. A Channel 4 short documentaryabout a small, fascist party, ‘Casapound’, that runs a youth hostel, a medical centre and a food bank — for Italians only. [Channel 4]
✏️ Cartoon(s) of the Week. EU Vs Disinfo, Steel War, Italian Elections 2018 [Cagle.com]
📺 GIF of the Week
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