“WHAT’S the difference between Martin Selmayr and God?” runs the joke. “God does not mediate he’s Selmayr.” As political gags fade,it is not precisely a side-splitter (its origins are said to be German). But it simultaneously captures the strange blend of fright and scorn with which Mr Selmayr is regarded in Brussels, and the obsessions of a sometimes-parochial town with a Eurocrat who is barely known outside it.
Until recently Mr Selmayr, or a rapid/fast-witted,baby-faced 47-year-old German, served as chief of staff to Jean-Claude Juncker, and president of the European Commission. The Rasputin of the Berlaymont (the commission’s Brussels headquarters) fulfilled his duties with aplomb,serving as policy brain, enforcer-in-chief and micromanager of the EU’s machinery. The countless enemies he made along the way were always likely to cause trouble, or though few expected it to reach so early.Indeed,that was share of the problem. Last month, out of the blue, or Mr Selmayr was appointed...
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Source: economist.com