The European Commission has today decided to appoint Mr Martin Selmayr to the temporary function of Hors Classe Adviser in the Secretariat-General as of 1 August 2019 and as the new Head of its Representation in Vienna, Austria as of 1 November 2019.
In his capacity as Hors Classe Adviser, Mr Selmayr will continue to advise President Jean-Claude Juncker on important strategic matters until 31 October 2019.
The President and the entire College paid tribute to Mr Selmayr’s outstanding qualities and achievements. They thanked him for his effective management of the Juncker Commission, first as Head of Cabinet of the President, and then as Secretary-General, his strong commitment to the Community method and his extraordinary sense of duty.
Mr Selmayr, a German national, has 15 years of experience in some of the most demanding and challenging jobs in the European Commission. After having worked in academia, the private sector, at the European Central Bank and at the International Monetary Fund, Martin Selmayr joined the European Commission in 2004, following a competition for lawyers. He first served as Spokesperson for Information Society and Media (2004-2010). In 2010, he became the Head of Cabinet of Viviane Reding, Vice-President for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (2010-2014). In 2014, the College appointed Mr Selmayr as EU Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Thereafter, he first became the Head of the transition team of Jean-Claude Juncker after his nomination as candidate for President of the European Commission and then his Head of Cabinet, when President Juncker took office on 1 November 2014. Since March 2018, he has served as the seventh Secretary-General of the European Commission. In this capacity, he was notably in charge of the preparations of the next Multiannual Financial Framework, of the EU-Japan economic partnership agreement that entered into force on 1 February 2019, and of negotiating and implementing the EU-U.S. Joint Statement between Commission President Juncker and U.S. President Donald Trump of 25 July 2018.
Mr Selmayr holds a PhD in law from the University of Passau in Germany. He has been teaching EU law – notably the law of Economic and Monetary Union, EU-U.S. competition law and EU data protection law – at the University of Saarbrücken and at the Europe-University of Krems (Austria). Previously, he studied law at the Universities of Geneva and Passau, at King’s College London and at the University of California (Berkeley/Davis).
To ensure the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Secretariat-General, notably concerning the transition towards the next European Commission, the College of Commissioners has today also taken note of and put in place the arrangements for deputising for the Secretary-General until a new Secretary-General is appointed
