Martin Selmayr’s fast-track appointment as EU Secretary-General, a post for which he was not qualified and will hold for many years to come, has been harshly criticised by the EU ombudsman who said it “stretched and possibly even overstretched the limits of the law”. The report listed four acts of “maladministration” which shoe-horned Selmayr, Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief of staff, into the EU’s most senior civil service post. Thereby giving the lie to the EU’s lofty ideals of democracy and transparency.
Selmayr, a devout federalist, masterminded Juncker’s campaign for the presidency, has since been described as the most powerful man in Brussels, known variously as The Monster or Frank Underwood (dodgy House of Cards politician). He will suffer no consequences from this condemnation of his smash-and-grab promotion but lessons will be learnt for next time. Isn’t that reassuring?
The EU chart does have a dirty-dealings-and power-play-in-secret with a 12th house Pluto in a ruthless square to Mars, some of which will be exposed, with luck, in 2020 when the Solar Arc MC is conjunct the Pluto.
Selmayr, 5 December 1970 (no birth time), has his Pluto exactly conjunct the EU Ascendant and exactly square the EU Midheaven so a very powerful not to say coercive figure in the organisation, who will arouse resentment over his tendency to meddle. His Mars is conjunct the EU’s Jupiter which on the one hand could mean he energises the EU’s ideals. But there’s always a risk with Mars Jupiter of egging each other into overly confident schemes, in this case financial since it is the EU’s 2nd house.
His Term chart, 1 March 2018 12 am, is nothing if not entrepreneurial, breathing fire and inspiration with a Fire Grand Trine of Mars trine Uranus trine Moon Midheaven; with an ultra-confident Jupiter trine Venus Mercury, sextile Pluto. Though it’ll sag badly with tr Neptune square the composite Mars in 2020/21; be rocking on its axis with the highly unstable tr Pluto square Uranus in 2021/22; and facing worse upheavals in 2023.
For all that, his personal chart along with some ructions has a raft of Jupiters keeping him buoyant right through till 2022/23. He will be seriously set-back on his heels from early this November to early December and again in February 2019 with tr Uranus opposition his Mars and his Saturn/Uranus midpoints which may well see him over-reacting in a reckless and irritated way. But there’s enough luck to keep him sailing through, piling up his golden pension pot for a fair while.
Juncker’s way of keeping his stamp firmly on the EU – the king is dead, long live the king – Juncker retires to his wine cellar and his apparatchik holds the reins.
Also, slightly off topic, when looking at Juncker’s successors, British people should hope for Alexander Stubb topping the EPP bill (Politico recently listed his chances as “moderate”, but the other Finnish EPP top contender Jyrki Katainen has since announced he’ll withdraw from politics). He completed his PhD in London School of Economics, is married to a Brit and I think their children even have double citizenship. Doesn’t mean he won’t be a tough negociator at post-Brexit landscape, but he won’t be driven by irrational need to punish British the way some of his Central European counterparts might.
I think you are forgetting one VERY important point here. The next European Elections will be in May 23rd 2019, and successor to Juncker will be determined by these results, as well as results in National Elections since 2014 (because heads of Government sitting at European Council), NOT by him appointing a chosen heir. Selmayr may be very powerful in Brussels now, but he is also very hated. He would not be called “Monster” otherwise. This means he may be expendable to EPP once Juncker is gone. EPP needs some leverage to get their chosen President in, because they won’t most likely, reach 50 per cent of the seats in next Parliament. They need ALDE and Socialist support there, and both have been critical of Selmayr nomination. There might even be a compromise ALDE President, if things get as nasty as I think they will.
Therefore, I see Selmayr future in European politics all but suspended after May 2019. Good transits on his chart in 2020 could point to a lower stress, and better paid, job at institutional investing after the EU gig. This is actually where slightly sidetracked EU darlings are frequently transferred. They may make a comeback too, either to National or EU Politics/administration.
Solaia, Thanks, makes sense. His term chart doesn’t look remotely cheerful in 2020 so maybe having his power undercut after the elections.
Oh Marjorie and Solaia, can I give you a naughty, mischievous thought?
How about Marine Le Pen as President of the European Commission?
I suspect that there may be something of a populist wave in the EP elections, even though I doubt it would reach more than 50%. But a strong (between 30 & 40%) showing by the populist parties may cause the EU institutions to reevaluate themselves and the wider EU project.
Well, that would be something, but won’t happen, because European populists and Euroscepticstare currently divided in different groups in Parliament that don’t get along mainly on Russia, but also social issues such as abortion rights and gay marriage. There have been attempts to unite them to one group, most recently by Steve Bannon, but Polish Law and Justice will never back Le Pen.
Wow, Marjorie, you are a mind reader. I was going to ask you to look at Martin Selmayr, precisely because of the Ombudsman report. And you had already posted on it! Thank you.