Musical chairs for top civil servants

Date: 28/11/1996

Applications are invited for the post of director-general of the Commission's translation service, but don't hurry - the word is that the vacancy is unlikely to be filled until next summer, even though the present incumbent, Eduard Brackeniers, retires in mid-December.

This will leave plenty of time for what the Commission calls a 'smooth transition', and the odds are still on Luxembourg's Colette Flesch, head of DGX (information), to bide her time and take over when the day finally arrives.

Meanwhile, no one is putting money on who will replace German Heinrich Von Moltke, head of DGXXIII (enterprise, tourism and SMEs), who recently received the Article 50 treatment. The Germans have made clear they are not interested in keeping the job, so it has now been earmarked for the Austrians, who are squabbling over a suitable candidate.

Please feel free to apply, however, even if you are not Austrian. After all, none of these jobs are fixed in advance, you know.

There are plenty of posts to choose from, too: Belgian Frans de Koster is leaving as head of DGIX (personnel and administration) and Dane Steffen Smidt, head of DGVIII (development), is likely to move sideways into the post, so both DGVIII and DGX (if Flesch moves on) will be up for grabs.

There is, however, already a front runner for one or the other - Competition Commissioner Karel van Miert's chef de cabinet, Michel vanden Abeele.

Development Commissioner João de Deus Pinheiro has made it perfectly clear he does not want Vanden Abeele in the development top job, so he looks set for DGX.

If all this happens, Van Miert will probably have to perform his very own Belgian diplomatic balancing act, because the Flemish Vanden Abeele will have to be replaced by a francophone, just to keep both communities happy.

Not that any of this is sewn up in advance, of course, but there is clearly more than one way to be an equal opportunities employer.