Udo Zolleis, the right-hand man of centre-right chief Manfred Weber, might be parachuted right into a everlasting position within the European Parliament’s civil service at a closed-door assembly in Strasbourg on Monday.
According to 3 sources with direct information of the matter, Zolleis was ranked first among the many 5 last candidates who confronted interviews earlier in December.
A range panel of senior civil servants made the advice to the Parliament’s bureau, the physique chaired by President Roberta Metsola and composed of senior MEPs.
Barring a extremely unbelievable last-minute rebel, the bureau will appoint Zolleis this night throughout an in-camera assembly in Strasbourg.
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The transfer will see Zolleis take cost of “academia, analysis and foresight” within the Parliament’s analysis service, incomes at the least €18,000 a month, and being promoted from head of unit degree to director.
Zolleis, a Bavarian educational whose analysis focuses on Christian Democratic events, together with his personal CSU, might be primarily based in Strasbourg. He doesn’t communicate French.
Euractiv’s flagship e-newsletter Rapporteur first reported in November that this was the centre-right EPP’s plan.
Parliament presents its administration as a politically impartial forms ruled by rigorous EU hiring procedures, however behind the scenes the overwhelming majority of senior posts are formed by political bargaining moderately than open competitors.
Two different sources prompt that Weber’s transfer to push Zolleis into the analysis position could also be a part of a longer-term energy play, which might see Zolleis return to the EPP group in a extra senior place.
“This won’t be about simply discovering him a comfortable sinecure now, however lining him up for a much bigger prize in the end,” mentioned one of many sources, a former senior Parliament official.
Weber’s workplace declined to remark. An EPP group spokesperson declined to remark. Zolleis didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Magnus Lund Nielsen contributed reporting.
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