European Parliament:
Outgoing:
Marek Józef GRÓBARCZYK (ECR, PL) and Dawid Bohdan JACKIEWICZ (ECR, PL) are to leave their positions as MEPs to take on their roles in the new Polish government. Czeslaw HOC will replace Marek Józef GRÓBARCZYK but JACKIEWICZ’s replacement has not been confirmed yet.
Fernando MAURA BARANDIARÁN (ALDE, ES) handed in the notice of his resignation effective as of 25 November to run as candidate of the Citizens party in the Spanish elections. Teresa GIMENEZ BARBAT is in line to replace him.
Substitutes of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT (EPP, ES) left the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (D-NAT) and joined the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (D-EPA) and the Delegation to the EU-Armenia and EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee (D-SCA).
Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI (EPP, PL) left the Delegation to the EU-Armenia and EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee (D-SCA) and joined the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (D-NAT).
Janice ATKINSON (ENF, UK) joined the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM).
Sylvie GODDYN (ENF, FR) left the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM).
Political groups:
Aymeric CHAUPRADE (FR) defected from the ENF due to ideological reasons and became independent. Following this development the number of ENF members drops to 38 and the current seat breakdown of the Parliament is as follows:
National parties:
Aymeric CHAUPRADE (NI, FR) left the National Front due to disagreement with the leadership of the party on ideological issues and the political agenda. He is now a member of the Independent Right.
European Commission:
Cabinets:
Tibor Navracsics’s team: Adrienn KIRÁLY is the new Head of Cabinet, replacing Jonathan Michael HILL.
Directorate Generals:
Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN): Directorate L - Finance, Coordination with EIB Group, EBRD and IFIs: Benjamin ANGELS appointed Director, replacing Burkhard SCHMIDT.
Eurostat (ESTA): Directorate B - Methodology; corporate statistical and IT service: Alvaro DIEZ SOTO became the new acting Head of IT for statistical production Unit, replacing Hubertus CLOODT.
Joint Research Centre (JRC): Directorate A - Policy Support Coordination: Delilah AL KHUDHAIRY is the new Director, replacing David MAIR.
Directorate G - Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen: Tom DE GROEVE is the new acting Head of Global Security and Crisis Management Unit, replacing Delilah AL KHUDHAIRY.
Directorate H - Institute for Environment and Sustainability: Jutta THIELEN DEL POZO is the new acting Head of Climate Risk Management Unit, replacing Frank RAES.
Justice and Consumers (JUST): Francisco FONSECA MORILLO appointed Deputy Director-General as of 16 November 2015.
Legal Service (SJ): Karen BANKS appointed Deputy Director-General as of 16 November 2015, replacing Luis ROMERO REQUENA.
Migration and Home Affairs (HOME): Myria VASSILIADOU’s mandate as Principal Adviser and Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator extended by four years as of 1 March 2016.
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR): Directorate D - Western Balkans: Catherine WENDT became the new acting Director, replacing Jean-Eric PAQUET.
Spokesperson’s Service: Employment and Social Affairs: Justyna MILANOWSKA became the new acting Press Officer, replacing Tove ERNST.
Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship: Tove ERNST is the new Spokesperson.
Representations in Member States:
Malta: Elena GRECH appointed new Head of the European Commission Representation as of 1 January 2016, replacing Diane SPITERI.
What’s new:
The Commission launched its new Science Advice Mechanism on 10 November. This high level group is under the responsibility of Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos MOEDAS and marks a new approach to the use of independent science advice in Commission policy making. Seven leading scientist have been appointed as members of the group, among them Rofl-Dieter HEUER, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Director-General. The first meeting of the Group has been scheduled for January 2016.
Committee of the Regions (CoR):
Members:
Ignazio MARINO (PES, IT) and Jerzy ZAJAKAŁA (UEN–EA, PL) left their positions.
Alternates:
Graziella GALEA (EPP, MT), Birgitta SACRÉDEUS (EPP, SE), René GÖGGE (EGP, DE) and Henrike MÜLLER (EGP, DE) joined as alternates.
European External Action Service (EEAS):
Europe and Central Asia Directorate: Thomas MAYR-HARTING became the new Managing Director, replacing Luis Felipe FERNÁNDEZ DE LA PEÑA.
European Union Military Staff Directorate-General: General Mihail KOSTARAKOS took up his role as EU Military Committee Chairman for a three-year term, replacing General Patrick DE ROUSIERS.
Special Representatives (EUSR): The mandates of Franz-Michael SKJOLD MELLBIN, EUSR in Afghanistan, Lars-Gunnar WIGEMARK, EUSR in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Alexander RONDOS, EUSR for the Horn of Africa, are extended until 28 February 2017.
European Agencies:
European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound): Juan MENÉNDEZ-VALDÉ’s term as Director extended by five years as of 1 December 2015.
Public affairs:
Acumen: Fabienne ECKERT joined as Associate Director and Emma BROWN promoted from Consultant to Account Manager.
General Assembly of Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE): Jean-Marc LEROY has been elected as President.
International Road Transport Union (IRU): Christian LABROT elected as the new President as of 1 January 2016. He will succeed Janusz LACNY.
News in a nutshell:
Croatia: The opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) (EPP) declared victory in the parliamentary elections on 8 November but lengthy coalition talks are likely to follow as it fell short of a parliamentary majority.
Poland: The government of Beata SZYDŁO, Law and Justice (PiS) (ECR) was sworn in on Friday 13 November after the party’s decisive victory in the elections. Witold WASZCZYKOWSKI appointed as the new Foreign Minister, Konrad SZYMANSKI as Minister for Europe and Pawel Szalamacha as Minister for Finance. MEPs Marek GRÓBARCZYK and Dawid JACKIEWICZ were appointed as Fisheries and Treasury Ministers respectively.
Portugal: The centre-right minority government of Pedro Passos COELHO, Social Democratic Party (EPP) which was formed in the end of October, collapsed on 10 November, when the left-wing parties rejected its program in the parliament. According to the Portuguese Constitution, the new parliament cannot be dissolved within the six months after it was elected. President Aníbal CAVACO SILVA has to decide in the next few days between COELHO’s cabinet as a caretaker government and a Socialist-led administration supported by the other left-wing parties.
Romania: President Klaus IOHANNIS nominated ex-Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, Independent for the position of Prime Minister-designate. CIOLOS announced that he will present the members of his cabinet at the weekend.
Spain: The Catalan Parliament passed a motion declaring the start of the secession process from Spain. The Constitutional Court of Spain unanimously agreed to temporarily suspend the separatist motion and has five months to reach a decision.
United Kingdom: Prime Minister David CAMERON, Conservatives (ECR) announced his proposals for the EU reform in a letter to the President of the Council, Donald TUSK. The main areas areas where UK is seeking reforms are: economic governance, competitiveness, sovereignty and immigration.
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