Commission reshuffles senior management
Twenty-three positions in 13 departments affected; three deputy secretaries-general appointed
The European Commission has approved a reshuffle of senior managers affecting 23 positions across 13 departments.
What is the third and biggest batch of appointments since the Commission came into office in February fills in several vacancies created by the earlier reshuffles at the level of deputy heads of departments. The Commission has also sought to promote emerging talent among officials from the newer member states.
Ladislav Miko, who is currently a director in the Commission’s environment department and who last year was environment minister in the Czech Republic’s caretaker government, has been made deputy director-general for health and consumers. Martin Sechell, currently director for environmental protection in Malta’s environmental and planning authority, is also made a deputy director-general for health and consumers. One of those vacancies was created when Paola Testori-Coggi was promoted to director-general of the department on 1 April.
Xavier Prats-Monné, a Spaniard, who is a director in the Commission’s employment department, has been appointed deputy director-general for education and culture, a post left vacant since 1 May by the promotion of Jan Truszczyn´ski, the current director-general.
In the agriculture department, Rudolf Mögele, a German official who is currently director dealing with agricultural legislation, has been promoted to deputy director-general, along with João Pacheco, who is at present the head of the EU’s delegation in Brazil.
Deputy secretaries-general
The Commission has appointed three deputy secretaries-general: Marianne Klingbeil and Michel Servoz, who are both currently directors in the secretariat-general, and Christian Danielsson, who is on secondment as Sweden’s permanent representative to the EU. Catherine Day, the secretary-general of the Commission, has been without any deputies since May when Jean-Claude Thébault left to head the Bureau of Policy Advisers. Alexander Italianer had left in February to head the competition department.
Robert Verrue, the director-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion, who it was announced on 17 November would become a special adviser in that department, is being transferred into the secretariat-general.
Director appointments
In addition, the Commission approved 14 appointments at the level of director or equivalent.
Some of the posts, including Sechell’s, were reserved for nationals from member states that joined the EU in 2004 or 2007.
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Mihail Dumitru, a former minister of agriculture in Romania, becomes director in charge of rural development in the Commission’s agriculture department. Jonas Rasimas, currently chair of Lithuania’s competition council, becomes director in charge of energy and environmental issues in the Commission’s competition department; Tudor Constantinescu, the Romanian executive director of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, becomes a principal adviser in the Commission’s energy department; Catalin Fotache from Romania, who is the current general manager of the United Technologies Research Centre in the United States, becomes a principal adviser in the Commission’s research department; Myria Vassiliadou, a Cypriot, currently the secretary-general of the European Women’s Lobby, becomes anti-trafficking co-ordinator for the Commission’s home affairs department; Jolita Butkevic?iene?, a Lithuanian, moves from head of unit in the Commission’s EuropeAid office to principal adviser in the same department, which will become part of the EuropeAid Development and Co-operation directorate-general on 1 January; Jaroslaw Porejski, a Pole, who is a head of unit in the Commission’s competition department, becomes principal adviser in the Commission’s interpretation service.
Paraskevi Michou, a Greek, who is currently a head of unit in the Commission’s information society and media department, has been appointed director in charge of civil justice issues in the Commission’s justice department. Peter Betts, currently director and acting director-general of the international climate change unit in the UK’s department of energy and climate change, has been appointed as a principal adviser in the Commission’s climate department. Kai-Uwe Kühn, a German professor of economics at Michigan University in the US, has been appointed as chief economic adviser in the Commission’s competition department.
External relations
Tung-Lai Margue, a Luxemburger, a director in the external relations department, will head the Foreign Policy Instruments Service. Alan Seatter, a Briton who is director of the North America, East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and western Europe desk in the external relations department, will be a director in the secretariat-general, in charge of better regulation and co-ordination. Francisco Merchan Cantos, a Spaniard who is a director in the internal audit service, becomes director of audit in the Commission’s employment department. That post is currently held by Carlo Pettinelli, who is to be resource director in the enterprise and industry department.