The appointment of EU lawmaker and German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician Markus Pieper to an EU small and medium enterprises (SME) envoy role is under scrutiny. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s appointment of Pieper, a fellow CDU party member, prompted calls for transparency around the hiring process from a group of green, liberal, centre-left and left EU lawmakers in the European Parliament. In a letter obtained by dpa, previously reported by news website Politico, EU lawmakers called on the commission to explain how Pieper performed against other candidates f…