Keep track of developments in the European institutions and public affairs with our Movers and Shakers column.
Stay ahead of the game by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.
European Parliament
MEP News
Evelyne Gebhardt (S&D, DE) has announced her resignation as a Member of the European Parliament with effect from 2 February 2022.
Committees and Delegations
Éric Andrieu (S&D, FR) is now a member of the Development Committee (DEVE) and a substitute on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI).
Stelios Kympouropoulos (EPP, GR) is now a substitute on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI).
Leopoldo López Gil (EPP, ES) is now a substitute on the Relations with the Countries of Central America (DCAM).
Gabriel Mato (EPP, ES) is now a substitute on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI) and the Relations with the Countries of the Andean Community Delegation (DAND).
Lars Patrick Berg (ECR, DE) is now a member of the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN).
Simone Schmiedtbauer (EPP, AT) is now a member of the Budgetary Control Committee (CONT).
Maria Spyraki (EPP, GR) is now a member instead of a substitute on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI).
Marc Tarabella (S&D, BE) is now a member instead of a substitute on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI). He has also left the Development Committee (DEVE).
European Commission
Commissioner Cabinets
Cabinet of Margrethe Vestager
Pierre-Arnaud Proux has joined as a Member of Cabinet. His responsibilities include industrial policy and SME strategy, the internal market and the e-government.
Cabinet of Janusz Wojciechowski
Joanna Stawowy has joined as a Member of Cabinet. Her responsibilities include F2F coordination, animal welfare and relations with SANTE and other IOs.
Directorates-General and Services
Communication (COMM)
Sixtine Bouygues is no longer the Deputy Director-General.
Lene Naesager replaces Tina Zournatzi as Head of Unit B1 (Strategy and Corporate Communications) in an acting capacity.
Laura Boselli replaces Krisztina Nagy as Head of Unit B3 (Europa Web Communication) in an acting capacity.
Theresa Zahra replaces Elena Grech as Head of Representation (Malta) in an acting capacity.
Vladimir Šucha replaces Ladislav Miko as Head of Representation (Slovakia).
Competition (COMP)
Pascal Schloesslen is no longer the Adviser for State Aid.
Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (EAC)
Florence Mondin replaces Lars Jakobsen as Head of Unit A6 (Education and Youth Policy Analysis).
Regina (Vasiliki) Mourtou takes over Mondin’s previous role as Head of Unit A2 (Platforms, Skills and Innovation) in an acting capacity.
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Joanna Krzeminska-Vamvaka replaces Antonio Miceli as Director of Directorate A (Expenditure: Operations and Investigations) who was covering the role in an acting capacity.
Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA)
Sven Gentner replaces Alain Deckers as Head of Unit C1 (Corporate Reporting, Audit and Credit Rating Agencies) while Deckers takes over his previous role as Head of Unit C4 (Asset Management).
Human Resources and Security (HR)
Krisztina Nagy replaces Laure Ledoux as Head of Unit A4 (Internal Communication). Ledoux replaces Celso Sanchez Martinez as Head of Unit D2 (Working Environment and Safety) who was covering the role in an acting capacity.
Informatics (DIGIT)
Magdalena Hagiu replaces Thomas Gageik as Head of Unit B2 (Solutions for Legislation, Policy and HR) who was covering the role in an acting capacity.
Frederic Alexandre replaces Gunnar Opsommer as Head of Unit C5 (Digital Workplace Support) in an acting capacity.
Interpretation (SCIC)
Morag Neath replaces John Swales as Head of Unit A.EN (English Language Interpreting) in an acting capacity.
Secretariat-General (SG)
Cosmin Dobran is no longer Head of Unit E4 (Health, Education and Culture).
Veronica Vecchio is the new Head of Unit A3 (Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia - Investment, Finance, Fiscal, Taxation).
Translation (DGT)
Kerstin Kettig-Bauer replaces Rosie Ter Beek as Head of Unit S3 (Editing) in an acting capacity.
Council of the European Union
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
France has assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2021 for a six-month term. This means that, from January to 30 June 2021, France will chair the meetings of the EU Council and will be responsible for progressing EU legislation. The Czech Republic will be responsible for the second half of the year.
Permanent Representations
Finland
Piia Nyström replaces Maija Rönkä as a Senior Specialist (Digitalization and Electronic Communications Services) in the Transport and Telecommunication Unit.
France
Victor Tissandier is the new Deputy Antici Advisor.
Céline Chateau is the new Counsellor (Relations with the European Parliament) in the European Parliament Service Unit.
Edouard Schmidt is the new Counsellor (Civil Protection (PROCIV), COSI (Support Group)) in the Justice and Home Affairs Unit.
Sébastien Bagot is the new Counsellor (Financial Services and Markets, Market Infrastructures) in the Economic, Financial and Monetary Affairs Unit.
Baptiste Legay is the new Counsellor (MACF, "Fit for 55" Coordination) in the Environment Unit.
Alexis Ridde and Guillaume Arduin are the new Counsellors in the Sport Unit.
Marie de Lastelle is the new Counsellor (Health) in the Employment, Social Policy and Health Unit.
Fabien Schneegans is the new Deputy Representative (Food, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Issues) in the Agriculture and Fisheries Unit.
Other EU Institutions and Agencies
European Central Bank (ECB)
Joachim Nagel has replaced Jens Weidmann as the President of the German Federal Bank.
Got a new appointment you would like us to include in our next newsletter? Click here to let us know about it!
National News
Upcoming Elections 2022
Portugal – Legislative election 30 January
French elections – Presidential election 10 and 24 April, parliamentary election 12 and 19 June
Hungary – Parliamentary election expected in April
Slovenia – Parliamentary election 24 April, presidential election expected in October
Northern Ireland – Election 5 May
Malta – Parliamentary election expected in June
Austria – Presidential election expected in September
Sweden – General election 11 September
Latvia – Parliamentary election 1 October
Czech Republic
Petr Fiala has replaced Andrej Babiš as the new Prime Minister.
The rest of the government includes the following changes:
Vít Rakušan replaces Jan Hamáček as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Interior, Marian Jurečka is the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Labor and Social Affair and Vlastimil Valek is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health, replacing Adam Vojtěch. Zdeněk Nekula replaces Miroslav Toman as the Minister for Agriculture, Ivan Bartoš is the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and Minister for Regional Development, replacing Klára Dostálová.
Zbyněk Stanjura replaces Alena Schillerová as the Minister for Finance, Pavel Blazek replaces Marie Benešová Minister for Justice and Jozef Síkela replaces Karel Havlíček as the Minister for Industry and Trade while Martin Kupka replaces Havlíček as the Minister for Transport.
Jana Černochová replaces Lubomír Metnar as the Minister for Defence, Jan Lipavský replaces Jakub Kulhánek as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Petr Gazdík replaces Robert Plaga as the Minister for Education, Youth and Sports.
Martin Baxa replaces Lubomír Zaorálek as the Minister for Culture, Anna Hubáčková replaces Richard Brabec as the Minister for the Environment and Mikuláš Bek is the new Minister for European Affairs. Helena Langšádlová is the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation and finally, Michal Šalomoun is the Minister for Legislation and Chairman of the Legislative Council of the Government
Luxembourg
Paulette Lenert replaces Dan Kersch as the Deputy Prime Minister while Georges Engel takes over Kersch’s role as Minister for Sport and Minister for Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy. Yuriko Backes replaces Pierre Gramegna, making her the country’s first female Minister for Finance. Claude Haagen replaces Romain Schneider as the Minister for Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development and Minister for Social Security.
Want to know more? Click here for more information on our Dods People EU service.