Brussels (Brussels Morning) – MEP Markus Pieper withdraws from Commission post amid controversy over appointment process, sparking Piepergate and raising questions on transparency.
MEP Markus Pieper’s renouncement of the post of European Commission small-business representative after his recruitment attracted censure from the European Parliament and gave birth to Pipergate has cast suspicion over the process by which he was appointed to von der Leyen’s Commission. Pieper, currently an MEP, had been assigned to the lucrative position in January and was due to start work on 16 April.
According to Euronews, the recruitment to the seemingly impartial executive drew charges of cronyism, as Pieper belongs to the same German political party as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Christian Democrat Union.
“The President both respects and regrets Markus Pieper’s decision not to take up his post as SME [small and medium-sized enterprise] Envoy on 16 April as planned,” stated a statement published late Monday by Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer. Pieper, who’s been an EU legislator since 2004, was a “proven expert” on small and medium-sized businesses, Mamer stated, adding that selection procedures will be reopened after EU elections due in June.
How Transparent Was Pieper’s Commission Appointment?
Official guidance states senior Commission appointments should be presented in agreement with portfolio Commissioners – though in this case, the EU’s SME Commissioner Breton had reservations. A Commission representative told Euronews that, irrespective of the issued guidance, it was “established practice” to offer lead candidates for senior jobs merely after consulting the appropriate Commissioner “with a view to agreement”, implying Breton wouldn’t need to have consented.
Was MEP Pieper’s Renouncement Justified Critique?
Pieper reportedly did not function well in the early stages of the internal review.
In a statement mailed to Euronews, originally reported by German newspaper Handelsblatt, Pieper expressed he wouldn’t be able to carry out his tasks as Breton had “boycotted my position within the Commission in advance”, which Pieper stated was “bad form and motivated solely by party politics”.
“I successfully faced a very demanding selection procedure,” Pieper said. “Things will look different after the European elections with the foreseeable new majorities.”
Did Piepergate Reflect Flawed Commission Procedures?”
Sources close to Breton said accusations of boycotting or party politics on his part were “ludicrous at best”. Breton himself stressed the importance of “transparency and collegiality” in Commission appointments.
In a landslide 382-144 vote last week, especially made on party lines, MEPs requested von der Leyen to rescind the hire and restart the procedure. The hiring also attracted criticism from some of her senior lieutenants and activists such as Transparency International.
Did MEP Pieper’s Withdrawal Warrant Scrutiny?
“Markus Pieper made the right choice,” Transparency International EU’s Director Nick Aiossa told Euronews in a statement. “For an appointment that smacked of political cronyism, it should have been President von der Leyen who came to this conclusion weeks ago.” Mamer has previously stated that Commission rules were fully conceded with during the hiring procedure and that the EU leader retains independence over recruitment.
