European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is running for re-election, is facing an investigation into the Pipergate case in addition to Pfizergate. On January 31, the European Commission appointed Markus Piper, a German member of the European Parliament from the CDU (EPP), as the EU envoy for small and medium-sized enterprises, with a salary of 17,000 euros. However, several commissioners and MEPs questioned the impartiality of this appointment. They expressed concerns about the transparency and fairness of the selection process and called for a discussion within the College of Commissioners.
In a letter dated March 27, EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell along with three commissioners Thierry Breton, Paolo Gentiloni and Nicolas Schmidt asked for a discussion on Piper’s appointment as soon as possible. The concerns were initially raised by MEPs from various political groups who questioned whether political affiliation played a role in Piper’s selection over other candidates who had better approval ratings. German Green MEP Daniel Freund criticized the Commission for not answering questions about the appointment and called for canceling nomination and starting new procedure.
The matter will be discussed next week in the European Parliament in Brussels where Von der Leyen is expected to participate. The spokesperson of the president expressed his belief that the appointment was made in accordance with relevant procedures. Markus Pieper has not yet taken up his new role and start date of his contract has not been set yet.
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