Lawmakers at the European Parliament voted to reverse the decision to appoint Markus Pieper as the European Commission small business envoy, citing suspicions of political favouritism. The vote was passed 382-144 and was proposed by MEPs from the Green, Socialists and Democrats, and centrist Renew groups. The lawmakers questioned whether the principles of merit, gender, and geographical balance were considered in Pieper’s selection. Pieper, who is from the same German political party as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, was accused of securing the position due to his party affiliation rather than qualifications.
Daniel Freund, a German MEP, described the episode as “sad and shameful” and raised concerns about how to explain it to voters. The European Parliament formally agreed with Freund’s concerns and called for the EU executive to re-launch the process to fill the post in a transparent and open manner. Despite efforts from Pieper’s allies to defend the appointment process as fair and multi-step, their amendment was not selected. The European Commission stated that the Parliament’s vote does not impact its institutional independence in recruitment matters, and Pieper will still begin his duties as planned.
The decision to reverse Pieper’s appointment came during the signing off of the EU budget by MEPs after a wide-ranging debate that touched on various topics. Some of von der Leyen’s own senior lieutenants expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and collective decision-making at the top of the EU executive. Despite these complaints, Slovakian Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič stated that rules and procedures had been followed in the Pieper case. However, questions remain over the appointment process, as media reports suggest that Pieper may have been outperformed by other candidates during the recruitment process.
One of the concerns raised was the interview conducted by Bjoern Seibert, von der Leyen’s chief of staff, which raised eyebrows due to his subsequent role as the head of her political campaign team at the EPP. EU guidance states that senior appointments should be made in agreement with portfolio commissioners, but in this case, the responsible commissioner for EU small-business policy, Thierry Breton, does not appear to have been involved. These deviations from standard procedure have led to calls for a more transparent and fair selection process for the European Commission’s small business envoy position.
The vote by the European Parliament to rescind Pieper’s appointment highlights the ongoing challenges of political favouritism and lack of transparency in EU institutions. The controversy surrounding Pieper’s selection raises concerns about the integrity and fairness of the recruitment process for top positions within the European Commission. Moving forward, there is a need to ensure that appointments are based on merit, qualifications, and adherence to established procedures to maintain public trust in the EU’s decision-making processes. The Parliament’s decision sends a strong message about the importance of upholding standards of fairness and transparency in all aspects of governance within the EU.
