The media revealed how von der Leyen places former comrades in positions in the EC

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has formed an extensive network of her former employees and close associates in senior positions in key departments of the EC, with more than half of the appointments to such posts since 2023 going to officials who previously worked directly with her, Politico reports based on its own analysis of personnel decisions.

“Of the 19 appointments to senior positions in non-core directorates general since 2023, ten were received by officials who worked in the cabinet of Ursula von der Leyen, in a task force under her leadership or in the presidential service,” the publication says.

According to the publication, the appointments show how widely von der Leyen’s circle is represented in the leadership of the European Commission, especially against the backdrop of plans it is considering to merge or reorganize departments.

One of the latest examples was the appointment of Paulina Dejmek Hack as head of the Directorate General for Financial Stability and Financial Services. As Politico notes, she received this position just two weeks after being appointed deputy head of the same department. She previously worked on the Brexit task force, which acted “under the direct supervision of the President” of the European Commission.

Among other examples, the publication names the former chief official of the European Commission, Eric Mamer, who later headed the Directorate General for the Environment. Previously, he also led von der Leyen's internal analytics division.

Anthony Whelan, a former member of von der Leyen's cabinet, became the head of the competition department, and Kurt Vandenberghe, who also worked in her office, headed the climate policy department. Officials who had previously participated in the implementation of key initiatives of the head of the EC together with her influential chief of staff, Björn Seibert, also received leadership positions.

“Von der Leyen and Seibert have former colleagues who run a significant portion of the European Commission’s departments,” Politico states.

The European Commission, in turn, stated that all appointments were made on the basis of the professional qualities of the candidates and in strict accordance with the current rules.

According to EC spokesman Balazs Ujvari, since 2023 the European Commission has appointed about 200 high-ranking officials, and the requirements for candidates and selection criteria have been published openly.

“The decision on the appointment of a high-ranking leader is always made by the board,” the representative of the European Commission emphasized.