Today’s Movers & Shakers are about: Brussels welcomes two new MEPs, chair of ITRE Committee elected, Parliament approves two new ECB Executive Board members, latest Commission appointments, public affairs and more!
European Parliament
Committees and Delegations
Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON)
Maximillian KRAH (ID, DE) has joined as a substitute.
Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
Cristian Silviu BUȘOI (EPP, RO) has been elected chair with 52 votes. He replaces outgoing MEP Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN.
Incoming/ Outgoing
Dubravka ŠUICA (EPP, HR) leaves the Parliament as she officially commences her role as vice-president and commissioner for democracy and demography in the new Commission. Similarly, Nicolas SCHMIT (S&D, LU) and Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (EPP, RO) depart from the Parliament to take on roles as commissioner for jobs and social rights and commissioner for transport respectively.
Sunčana GLAVAK (EPP, HR), a former member of the Croatian Parliament, has joined the Parliament to replace ŠUICA while Gheorghe-Vlad NISTOR (EPP, RO), a history professor, replaces VĂLEAN.
National political parties
Mihai TUDOSE (S&D, RO) resigned on Monday from the PRO Romania party, citing disagreements with the decisions of “central leadership”.
Four of the Brexit Party’s (NI, UK) MEPs have resigned the whip and urged voters to back the Conservative Party in the UK general elections next week. Annunziata REES-MOGG, Lance FORMAN, John LONGWORTH and Lucy HARRIS will now sit as independents in the Parliament.
Stay ahead of the game by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.
European Commission
Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI)
Cristina LOBILLO BORRERO joins the DG as a Principle Adviser.
Tassos HANIOTIS replaces Yves PLEES as Head of Unit C4 (Monitoring and Evaluation) in an acting capacity. PLEES moves to the position of Head of Unit R4 (Financial Management of EAGF and EAFRD), replacing Ann BEKAERT.
Fabien SANTINI leaves his position as Adviser (Observatory of Agricultural Markets) in Directorate G (Markets and Observatories).
Unit AGRI.I.2 (State Aid) moves from DG AGRI to DG COMP.
Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA)
Nathalie DE BASALDUA is appointed Principal Adviser to the Director-General.
Unit JUST.B.3 (Financial Crime) dealing with anti-money laundering moves from DG JUST to DG FISMA.
Health and Food Safety (SANTE)
Nathalie CHAZE replaces Annukka OJALA as Head of Unit, Strategy and Coordination.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE)
Juergen MUELLER replaces Carmen PREISING as Head of Unit E2 (Inter-institutional matters, Strategic Programming and Communication) in an acting capacity.
Secretariat-General (SG)
Clara MARTINEZ ALBEROLA, former head of cabinet of outgoing Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, and James MORRISON, former head of cabinet of outgoing Commissioner Julian King, have become Principal Advisers to the Director-General.
As Jivka PETKOVA prepares to join Ursula Von der Leyen’s team, she leaves her position as Director of Directorate A (Strategy, Better Regulation & Corporate Governance), leaving a vacant position.
Henning KLAUS replaces Maria Luisa CABRAL as Head of Unit B3 (Interinstitutional Relations Group (GRI) Secretariat).
Paulina DEJMAK HACK becomes a Director of Directorate A (Strategy and Overall Coordination) in the UK Task Force. Nina OBERMAIER leaves her position as Adviser. Dorthe CHRISTENSEN also leaves their position as Head of Unit for Legal and Interinstitutional Affairs in the UK Task Force.
Want to know more? Click here for more information on our Dods People EU service.
EEAS
Olof SKOOG has been appointed as Head of the EU Delegation to the United Nations. He is currently Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations.
EU Institutions and Agencies
European Central Bank
On Tuesday, Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs approved Isabel SCHNABEL (DE), an economics professor at the University of Bonn, and central-bank official Fabio PANETTA (IT) for positions on the Executive Board. The vote only serves as a recommendation, before national governments sign off on the two appointments by the end of the year.
Public Affairs
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Jenny GU has been elected as president. She succeeds outgoing president Robert STENHOUSE.
Edelman Brussels
Loubna OURIAGHLI joins as a senior account manager in the healthcare team.
Got a new appointment you would like us to include in our next newsletter? Click here to let us know about it!
National News
Belgium
Didier REYNDERS has left his role as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Minister for Defence to take up a position in the European Commission. Minister for Budget David CLARINVAL has taken over REYNDERS role as Deputy Prime Minister. Philippe GOFFIN takes responsibility for the Foreign and European Affairs, and Defence portfolios.
Cyprus
This week, President of Cyprus Nicos ANASTASIADES announced a Cabinet reshuffle. Nicos NOURIS replaces Constantinos PETRIDES as Minister for Interior. PETRIDES will take over the Finance Portfolio from Harris GEORGIADES, who leaves government. Yiannis KAROUSOS, current Mayor of Aia Napa will take over as Minister of Transport, Communications and Work from Vassiliki ANASTASSIADOU. Prodromos PRODROMOU will replace Kostas CHAMPIAOURIS as Minister for Education and Culture. The new cabinet took on their duties on Wednesday.
Estonia
The Minister of Rural Affairs Mart JARVIK has been let go. Prime Minister Juri RATAS cited that he no longer had confidence in JARVIK. Minister for the Interior Mart HELME and Minister for the Environment Rene KOKK will take on the Rural Affairs Portfolio until a replacement has been found.
Finland
President Sauli NIINISTO has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Antii RINNE. RINNE faced criticism over his handling of a two-week postal strike in the country. The Finnish Center Party, part of the country’s five-party ruling coalition lost confidence in RINNE as a result.
Lithuania
Virginijus SINKEVICIUS has left his role as Minister for the Economy to take up a position in the European Commission.
Malta
Last week Christian CARDONA resigned as Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business. This week he has been reinstated.
Prime Minister Joseph MUSCAT has announced he will step down as leader of the Labour party on the 12 January and resign as Prime Minister “in the days after”. Despite the announcement protesters have been calling for his immediate resignation over the handling of the inquiry into the death of journalist Daphne Caruana Gaizia.
Poland
President Andrzej DUDA has appointed Danuta DMOSKA-ANDRZEJUK as the new Minister for Sport. Prime Minister Mateusz MORAWIECKI had held the sport portfolio since November. Previously Witold BANKA held the portfolio, until he left the role to become the President of the World-Anti Doping Agency.
Spain
Josep BORRELL has left his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs to take up a position in the European Commission. Acting Minister of Defence Margarita ROBLES will take over the Foreign Affairs portfolio until Spain has formed a new government.
