When the 5-year legislature of a Commission comes to an end, many Commissioners return to their home country whilst dozens of temporary agents that were once brought to Brussels by these Commissioners grab at any possible straw in order to secure a permanent and ideally high-paying position in Brussels. Of course, if possible, without the unsavoury and demeaning obligation of having to pass an open competition just like any other common and inferior European mortals.
There is certainly nothing wrong with a Commissioner exceptionally bringing in an outsider, a person of special confidence into his or her cabinet, but for the rest, cabinets have important jobs to do that often require detailed knowledge and experience of Commission procedures and policies. Overly relying on outsiders on the basis of special recommendations exposes the Commission to the influence of lobby groups and limits the efficiency of the cabinets right from the first crucial months of a legislature. Continue reading Cabinet appointments for common (but deserving) mortals
