European Commission Disagrees With Ombudsman's Criticism Of Secretary-General Appointment

European Commission Disagrees With Ombudsman's Criticism of Secretary-General Appointment

The European Commission does not agree with the arguments of the European ombudsman concerning alleged violations at the latest appointment of the European Commission's secretary-general, however, the commission is ready to consider some recommendations for improving the procedure in the future, Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said on Tuesday.

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th September, 2018) The European Commission does not agree with the arguments of the European ombudsman concerning alleged violations at the latest appointment of the European Commission's secretary-general, however, the commission is ready to consider some recommendations for improving the procedure in the future, Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly said that she had found four instances of maladministration in the appointment of the European Commission's Secretary-General Martin Selmayr in February 2018. According to O'Reilly, the commission, in particular, "created an artificial sense of urgency to fill the post of secretary-general" and a vacancy notice was not published.

"The European Commission has received the Recommendation by the Ombudsman on the appointment of the Secretary-General. While we do not share all aspects of the underlying report, we welcome that the Ombudsman - based on a detailed analysis of some 11,000 pages provided to her - neither contests the legality of the appointment procedure of the Secretary-General, nor the choice of the candidate who is described as a 'competent EU official, highly committed to the European Union,'" Oettinger said.

O'Reilly also called on the commission to develop a specific and separate appointment procedure for its secretary-general, which will include publishing a vacancy notice, placing it on the agenda of the weekly commissioners' meeting and also including external experts in the consultative committee for the appointment.

"When it comes to the Recommendation of how the Secretary-General should be appointed in the future, at first glance we do not see any reason why the appointment of the Secretary-General should be carried out independently from the appointment of any other Director-General. Having said this, the Commission will look into the Ombudsman's Recommendation and looks forward to reassessing, together with the European Parliament and the other Institutions," Oettinger added.

On September 25, the commission will hold a round table, where the issues of its working structures functioning will be discussed.