European Parliament:
Members of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
György HÖLVÉNYI (EPP, HU) joined the Committee on Development (DEVE).
György SCHÖPFLIN (EPP, HU) left the Committee on Development (DEVE).
Barbara KAPPEL (ENF, AT) switched from substitute to member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON).
Substitutes of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
György SCHÖPFLIN (EPP, HU) joined the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).
Joachim STARBATTY (ECR, DE) joined the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON).
Tiziana BEGHIN (EFDD, IT) joined the Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China (D-CN).
Michał MARUSIK (ENF, PL) switched from member to substitute of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON).
European Commission:
Commissioners' cabinets:
Valdis DOMBROVSKIS cabinet: Kai WYNANDS became the new Head of Cabinet, replacing Taneli LAHTI.
Phil HOGAN cabinet: Christiane CANENBLEY joined the team as member, replacing Carl-Christian BUHR (see below).
Directorates-General:
Competition (COMP):
Communications Policy and Interinstitutional Relations: Jonathan TODD became Head of Unit, replacing Tania MARQUEZ URIARTE.
Climate Action (CLIMA):
Directorate B – European & International Carbon Markets: Ronald VELGHE became acting Head of Unit for ETS Implementation, replacing Piotr Jaroslaw TULEJ. TULEJ moved to DG RTD, becoming Head of Unit for Renewable Energy Sources.
Communication (COMM):
Directorate A – Strategy and Corporate Communications: Mikel LANDABASO ALVAREZ became Director, replacing Nathalie DAVIES who was acting in the role and goes back to her position as Head of Unit for A.4. Audiovisual Services. LANDABASO ALVAREZ moves from DG REGIO where he was an Adviser to the Deputy-General for Implementation and acting Director for Directorate H.
Human Resources and Security (HR):
Directorate B – Talent Management and Diversity: Marie-Hélène PRADINES became Head of Unit for B.4. Career Management & Mobility, replacing Christian LEVASSEUR who was overseeing the role from his position as Director.
Directorate R – Shared Resource Services: Susan PANTER became Head of Unit for R.1. Local HR, replacing Maria DEBUSSCHERE who was acting in the role.
Research and Innovation (RTD):
Directorate F – Bioeconomy: István Laszlo NÁRAI became Head of Unit for F.5. Administration and Finance, replacing Georgios VLAHOPOULOS. NÁRAI left his position in Directorate C as an Advisor for relations with international organisations. Presently, this role remains vacant.
Directorate G – Energy: Piotr Jaroslaw TULEJ became Head of Unit for G.3 Renewable Energy Sources, replacing Paul VERHOEF.
Directorate H – Transport: Tiit JÜRIMÄE moved from Unit H.3 Aviation to Unit H.1 Strategy, replacing Alessandro DAMIANI. Sebastiano FUMERO moves into the role in Unit H.3.
Directorate J – Common Support Centre: Liliane DE WOLF became acting Director, replacing Franco BISCONTIN. DE WOLF is also Head of Unit for J.1 Common Legal Support Service.
Directorate R – Resources: Priscila FERNANDEZ-CANADAS became acting Director following Maive RUTE’s move to DG JCR, as reported in last week’s newsletter. FERNANDEZ-CANADAS is also Head of Unit for R.4 New Management Modes.
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Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO):
Directorate H – Inclusive Growth, Urban and Territorial Development and Northern Europe: Patrick AMBLARD became acting Director, replacing Mikel LANDABASO ALVAREZ who moved to DG COMM.
Anges LINDEMANS and Carsten RASMUSSEN swapped roles. In Directorate D – Territorial Cooperation, Macro-regions and North-West Europe: Anges LINDEMANS became Head of Unit for D.3 Belgium, France and Luxembourg. In Directorate E – Administrative Capacity Building and South-East Europe: Carsten RASMUSSEN became Head of Unit for E.2 Romania.
Secretariat-General (SG):
Directorate E – Policy and Co-ordination II: Jean-Charles VAN EECKHAUTE became Head of Unit for E3 International Dimension (including G8/G20), replacing James MORRISON who was covering the role from his position as Director. VAN EECKHAUTE moves from DG TRADE.
Missions to the EU:
The following Ambassadors presented their letters of credentials to the President of the European Council, Donald TUSK:
Ukraine: H.E. Mr Mykola TOCHYTSKYI, replacing Mr Livbov NEPOP who was acting in the role. Mr NEPOP returns to his position as Deputy Head of the Mission.
Republic of Tajikistan: H.E. Mr Erkinkhon RAHMATULLOZODA, replacing Mr Rustamjon Abdulloevich SOLIEV.
Republic of the Indonesia: H.E. Mr Yuri Octavian THAMRIN, replacing Mr Arif Havas OEGROSENO.
Eastern Republic of Uruguay: H.E. Mr Carlos PEREZ DEL CASTILLO, replacing Mr Walter CANCELA.
Public affairs:
Got any new appointment you would like us to include in our next newsletter? Contact Ifigenia Balkoura on dpeu.proofs@dods.eu.
CabinetDN: has bolstered its financial team by appointing Tomasz KRAWCZYK as Senior Consultant. Mr KRAWCZYK joins CabinetDN from the Polish Permanent Representation, where he was an attaché for financial services.
FTI Consulting: Carl-Cristian BUHR, previously member of Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan joined the competition and TMT teams on 16 April.
Forest-based Sector Technology Platform (FTP): Ex MEP (2004-14) and currently Special Representative of the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lena EK takes over as Chairperson in April. Ms EK who has also served as Minister for the Environment will succeed Kaija PEHU-LEHTONEN.
KEA European Affairs: Elisabetta AIRAGHI joined the team as Senior Consultant on 13 April. In her new role Ms AIRAGHI will be focusing on project development and management.
News in a nutshell:
Member states:
Austria: Wolfgang SOBOTKA, People’s Party (EPP) was sworn in as the new Minister of the Interior on 21 April, succeeding Johanna MIKL-LEITNER, who stepped down last week.
The candidate of far-right Freedom Party (ENF), Norbert HOFER won about 36% of the votes on Sunday’s presidential elections. However, the result is not enough to avoid a run-off on 22 May. HOFER will face Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Green Party (Greens/EFA) in the second round for the role which is mostly ceremonial.
Belgium: François BELLOT, Reformist Movement (ALDE) was appointed as the new Minister for Transport following the resignation of Jacqueline GALANT.
Malta: The government survived a confidence votes amid the Panama Papers revelations that the Minister of Energy and Health Konrad MIZZI, Labour Party (S&D) and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff were owned companies overseas.
Portugal: Castro MENDES became the new Minister for Culture, after João SOARES, Socialist Party (S&D) resigned after he suggested two journalists needed a good slap. Prime Minister Antonio COSTA Socialist Party (S&D) apologised publicly on behalf of his cabinet.
Romania: Dragoş Nicolae PÎSLARU, Independent took over from Claudia-Ana COSTEA, Independent in the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, after she resigned last week over public sector salaries law proposal.
Sweden: Housing Minister Mehmet KAPLAN, Green Party (Greens/EFA) resigned on 18 April after comparing Israel to the Nazis.
Candidate states:
Serbia: Pro-EU Prime Minister Aleksandar VUCIC, Serbian Progressive Party has claimed victory in the early elections that took place on Sunday 24 April.
