Germany's Bruner gets top EU anti-fraud job
ANDREW RETTMAN
07.02.2006 @ 17:49 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has opted to reappoint German Franz-Hermann Bruner to lead its anti-fraud office, OLAF, for the next five years, despite criticism the move could damage the EU.
Administration commissioner Siim Kallas made the decision following a three-way meeting with MEPs and the Austrian ambassador on Tuesday (7 February).
The commission is set to formalise on 14 February its choice for the €160,000 a year post, in charge of chasing up misspent EU cash and internal fraud cases.
Hungarian socialist MEP Szabolcs Fazakas, chairing the four-strong MEP delegation, praised Mr Kallas’ "fairness" in listening to fellow MEPs Herbert Bosch and Nils Lundgren.
The pair pushed for the appointment of Swedish police chief, Bjorn Eriksson, the European Parliament’s favourite for the job, instead of Mr Bruner.
Meanwhile, the Austrian ambassador pressed for the recruitment process to end swiftly, rather than endorsing the member states’ declared favourite, French auditor Alain Gillette.
Under EU rules, the commission has to consult parliament and member states for the top OLAF job, but the final decision rests in its hands.
Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger added that OLAF is "a special case" exempt from the principle that top officials have to be rotated every seven years.
In his past five years as OLAF chief, Mr Bruner oversaw handling of the 2003 Eurostat corruption scandal.
He has faced criticism from the European Ombudsman over his treatment of German reporter Hans-Martin Tillack and from the European Court of Auditors over OLAF’s ineffectiveness.
Leaked reports from OLAF’s own supervisory committee also accused the bureau of conducting "fake investigations."
Potential damage
Swedish eurosceptic MEP Nils Lundgren said the Bruner decision could damage Brussels' drive to overturn negative public opinion about the EU.
"It’s a clear indication they do not want to change the culture of OLAF and what is behind this I do not know," he said. "It’s very important for the EU’s legitimacy in the eyes of the public."
Other MEPs used stronger language.
"It's quite clear Bruner has got friends in high places," UK conservative member Chris Heaton-Harris stated. "It will only fuel concern that the EU's commitment to defeat fraud is nothing more than a hollow promise."
An EU diplomat indicated the move will undermine OLAF’s statutory independence due to a debt of gratitude to Mr Kallas.
"Now Bruner is in the hands of Kallas. He will follow the commission in whatever he is doing, thanking the commission," the contact said.
He added the decision will foment internal tension in Brussels, where some officials see OLAF as a German-run domain.
Friends in high places
The commission denied reports by German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung that German chancellor Angela Merkel personally telephoned commission president Jose Manuel Barroso over the weekend on Mr Bruner’s behalf.
But German diplomats and politicians in Brussels have made no secret of their support for Mr Bruner’s candidature in the past.
The German ambassador intervened angrily to try and overturn member states’ decision to place Mr Bruner in third place on their list last December.
Socialist group leader, German MEP Martin Schulz, lobbied to get Mr Bruner reappointed, but Mr Fazakas said "it would be going too far" to say Mr Schulz lent his support due to a German connection.
Conservative group leader, German MEP Hans-Gert Pottering, also endorsed Mr Bruner's reappointment.
"I'm not decisive in the game," Mr Pottering told EUobserver. "I give my opinion if I am asked, but nobody is forced to accept my position."
