Welcome to the first "Movers and Shakers of 2017. Today's Movers & Shakers are about: the Parliament's presidency, the new MEPs, the latest appointments in the Commission and public affairs, the new UK Permanent Representative, the new Romanian government, Brexit and more
European Parliament:
Presidency:
Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE) officially announced his candidacy for the presidency. Read more.
Outgoing:
Ernest MARAGALL (Greens/EFA, ES) left his seat in the European Parliament at the end of December 2016. He was replaced by Jordi SOLÉ I FERRANDO. José Ignacio SALAFRANCA SÁNCHEZ-NEYRA also joined the Parliament, replacing Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN. SALAFRANCA has already served as an MEP, from 1999 to 2014.
Vice-Chairs of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
Ian DUNCAN (ECR, UK) left his role as Vice-chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (D-SAS).
Members of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
Dubravka ŠUICA (EPP, HR) left the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).
Ivica TOLIĆ (EPP, HR) joined the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).
Daniel DALTON (ECR, UK) switched from substitute to member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and joined the Delegation to the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee (D-MX) and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (D-LAT).
Ian DUNCAN (ECR, UK) joined the Delegation for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee (D-EEA).
James NICHOLSON (ECR, UK) left the joined the Delegation to the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee (D-MX) and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (D-LAT) and joined the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (D-SAS).
John PROCTER (ECR, UK) joined the Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (D-ME).
Kay SWINBURNE (ECR, UK) left the Delegation for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee (D-EEA) and joined the Delegation for relations with the United States (D-US).
Syed KAMALL (ECR, UK) left the Delegation for relations with the United States (D-US).
Substitutes of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
John PROCTER (ECR, UK) joined the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Delegation for relations with Japan (D-JP).
Jens ROHDE (ALDE, DK) joined the Delegation for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee (D-EEA).
Political Groups:
ECR: Morten MESSERSCHMIDT (DK) and Notis MARIAS (EL) switched from Vice-Chairs to Bureau members, while Raffaele FITTO and Roberts ZĪLE (LV) switched from Bureau members to Vice-Chairs. Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI (PL) became Co-treasurer.
National parties:
UKIP: Ray FINCH was appointed as leader of UKIP MEP delegation.
5 Star Movement: voted by 78.5% to join ALDE group. It is currently affiliated to EFDD group and will join ALDE group if the latter approves the deal. If so, ALDE group will be the third largest group in the European Parliament. Read more.
Events:
The Parliament Magazine is organising a lunch briefing on Counterfeit Electrical Products across Europe in association with Electrical Safety First and UL, on Tuesday 28 February 2017. MEP Lucy ANDERSON (S&D, UK) will host the event, which will explore the key challenges of counterfeit and substandard electrical goods, their impacts on consumers, manufacturers and businesses, and seek workable solutions in the near and long-term future. For more information, click here.
European Commission:
Directorates General:
Budget (BUDG):
Directorate A – Expenditure: Johan UREEL became Head of Unit, ‘Budgetary procedures and execution, relations with the budget Committees’, replacing Philippe BERTRAND. Mr UREEL is also acting Director of the Directorate and was previously Head of Unit, ‘Internal policies’. Olivier SALLES was appointed to became head of the ‘Internal policies’ unit, moving from DG FISMA.
Directorate B – Own Resources and financial programming: Tomas KUCIREK became Head of Unit, ‘Control of VAT and GNO own resources’, replacing Antti SUOTTI. Mr KUCIREK was previously Head of Unit in DG TAXUD.
Directorate C – Budget execution: Derek DUNPHY became acting Head of Unit, ‘Accounting’, replacing Enrique LOBERA ARGÜELLES. Kristian VANGRIEKEN became Head of Unit, ‘Recovery of debts’, replacing Marc EKELMANS. Mr VANGRIEKEN moved to DG BUDG from DG TAXUD.
Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT):
Directorate A – Digital Industry: Colette MALONEY became acting Head of Unit, ‘Competitive Electronics Industry’, replacing Willian van PUYMBROECK. Ms MALONEY was previously Head of Unit, ‘Photonics’, in the same Directorate, which is now led by Philippe VANNSON.
Directorate G – Data: Celina RAMJOUÉ became acting Head of Unit, ‘Data Policy and Innovation’, replacing Márta NAGY-ROTHENGASS. June LOWERY-KINGSTON became Head of Unit, ‘Administration and Finance’, replacing Gustav KALBE. Ms LOWERY-KINGSTON’s previous role was in the Commission’s Publication Office (DG OP).
Directorate H – Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity: Andrea SERVIDA became acting Director replacing Paul TIMMERS. Mr SERVIDA is also Head of Unit, ‘E-Government and Trust’, in the same Directorate.
Directorate I – Media Policy: Paolo CESARINI became Head of Unit, ‘Media convergence and social media’, replacing José COTTA. Mr CESARINI moved to this role from DG COMP.
International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO):
Directorate A – Development Policy and International Cooperation: Alessandro VILLA became acting Head of Unit, ‘International Cooperation and Dialogue’, replacing Barbara LUECKE.
Directorate B – Human Development and Migration: Maria Manuela CABRAL became Head of Unit, ‘Fragility and Resilience’, replacing Elizabeth PAPE who was acting in the role.
Directorate C – Sustainable Growth and Development: Leonard MIZZI became Head of Unit, ‘Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition’, replacing Jean-Pierre HALKIN. Mr MIZZI was formerly Head of Unit in DG AGRI. Jose BAIGES PLANAS became acting Head of Unit, ‘Financial Instruments’, replacing Jamie REIS CONDE.
Directorate E – Development Coordination West and Central Africa: Enrique LOBERA ARGÜELLES became Head of Unit, ‘Finance, Contracts, Audit’, replacing Carlos Filipe.
Directorate G – Development Coordination Latin America and Caribbean: Carlos FILIPE became Head of Unit, ‘Finance, Contracts, Audit’, replacing José IZARRA AGUADO.
Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN):
Directorate B – Investment, growth and structural reforms: Emmanuelle MAINCENT became Head of Unit, ‘Assessment and benchmarking of national reforms’, replacing Eric RUSCHER. Andrea MAIRATE moves into Ms MAINCENT’s former role as Head of Unit, ‘Impact of EU policies on national economies’.
Directorate C – Fiscal policy and policy mix: Eric RUSCHER became Head of Unit, ‘Monetary policy, exchange rate policy of the euro area, ERM II and euro adoption’, replacing Martin LARCH.
Directorate D – International economic and financial relations, global governance: Santiago LORANCA GARCIA became Head of Unit, ‘IMF and G-Groups’, replacing Annika MELANDER.
Directorate F – Economies of the Member States I: Magda MORGESE BORYS became acting Head of Unit, ‘Austria, Cyprus, Germany’, replacing Daniel DACO.
Directorate G – Economies of the Member States II: Martin LARCH became Head of Unit, ‘Belgium, France, Luxembourg’, replacing Nathalie DARNAUT.
Directorate R – Resources: Henrik KERSTING became Head of Unit, ‘Finance’, replacing Kristine VLAGSMA.
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL):
Directorate A – Employment and Social Governance: Nathalie DARNAUT became Head of Unit, ‘Country reform’, replacing Robert STRAUSS. Loukas STEMITSIOTIS became Head of Unit, ‘Thematic analysis’, replacing Ralf JACOB.
Directorate B – Employment: Sandrine DE BUGGENOMS became Head of Unit, ‘Romania, Bulgaria’, replacing Aurelio CECILIO.
Directorate C – Social Affairs: Ana Carla PEREIRA became Head of Unit, ‘Modernisation of social protection systems’, replacing Radek MALY.
Directorate D – Labour Mobility: Lluís PRATS became Head of Unit, ‘International issues’, replacing Thomas BENDER.
Directorate F – Investment: Anne GRISARD became Head of Unit, ‘EaSI, Direct and Indirect Management’, replacing Olivier ROULAND.
Directorate G – Audit and Evaluation: Androulla IOANNOU became Head of Unit, ‘Audit Shared Management II’, replacing Filip BUSZ. Maria José CUETO FAUS became Head of Unit, ‘Evaluation and Impact Assessment’, replacing Santiago LORANCA GARCIA.
Directorate R – Resources, Planning and Communication: Roberta PERSICHELLI SCOLA became Head of Unit, ‘Communication’, replacing Maria José CUETO FAUS.
Energy (ENER):
Directorate D – Nuclear energy, safety and ITER: Michael HUEBEL became Head of Unit, ‘Radiation protection and nuclear safety’, replacing Michael KUSKE who was acting in the role.
Energy (ENER) and Mobility and Transport (MOVE):
Shared resource Directorate: Alessandro D’ATRI became acting Head of Unit, ‘Financial resources’, replacing Paloma ABA GARROTE. Mr D’ATRI is also head of the ‘Internal Control’ unit. Marco COPPOLA became acting Head of Unit, ‘Human Resources’, replacing Fontini IOANNIDOU. Marcos ROMAN PARRA became acting Head of Unit, ‘Financial management’, replacing Jean-Claude MERCIOL.
Joint Research Centre (JRC):
Directorate A – Strategy and Work Programme Coordination: Emanuela BELLAN became Head of Unit, ‘Interinstitutional, International Relations and Outreach’, replacing Ulla ENGELMANN.
Directorate B – Growth and Innovation: Daniel DACO became Head of Unit, ‘Fiscal Policy Analysis’, replacing Luis DELGADO SANCHO who was acting in the role. Mr DELGADO SANCHO is Head of Unit, ‘Circular Economy and Industrial Leadership’.
Directorate G –Nuclear Safety and Security: Michael FUETTERER became acting Head of Unit, ‘Nuclear Reactor Safety and Emergency Preparedness’, replacing Peter HAEHNER.
Directorate I – Competences: Giovanni DE SANTI became acting Head of Unit, ‘Text and Data Mining’, replacing Erik VAN DER GOOT who was also acting in the role. Mr DE SANTI is Director of the Directorate.
Directorate R – Resources: Philippe BIERLAIRE became Head of Unit, ‘Information and Communication Technology’, replacing Pere SOLER who was acting in the role.
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Spokesperson’s Service (SPP):
Competition: Maria TSONI joined the team as Press Officer.
Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD):
Directorate A – Customs Policy, Legislation, Tariff: Ilze KUNIGA became Head of Unit, ‘Customs policy’, replacing Tomas KUCIREK. Antti SUORTTI moved in to Mr KUNIGA’s previous role as Head of Unit, ‘Combined Nomenclature, Tariff classification, TARIC and integration of trade measures’.
Directorate B – Security, safety, Trade Facilitation, Rules of origin and International cooperation: Lina PAPAMICHALOPOULOU became Head of Unit, ‘Risk Management and Security’, replacing Maria Manuela CABRAL.
Directorate D – Direct taxation, Tax Coordination, Economic Analysis and Evaluation: Wolfgang MEDERER became Head of Unit, ‘Control of the application of EU legislation and state aid/direct taxation’, replacing Kristian VANGRIEKEN.
Trade (TRADE):
Directorate F – WTO, Legal Affairs and Trade in Goods: Veronika VEITS became Head of Unit, ‘WTO coordination, OECD, Export Credits and Dual Use’, replacing Anders JESSEN.
Directorate H – Trade defence: Joaquin FERNANDEZ MARTIN became Head of Unit, ‘Investigations IV – Relations with third countries for Trade Defence matters’, replacing Demos SPATHARIS.
Permanent Representations:
United Kingdom: Sir Ivan ROGERS resigned as Permanent Representative to the EU on Tuesday 3 January, ten months before originally planned. In his letter to colleagues, leaked to sections of the press, Sir IVAN said: "I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power”. Read more. His decision to quit prompted a furious row between former Whitehall officials and senior Brexiteers, with ex-Cabinet minister Iain DUNCAN SMITH being accused of "smearing" Sir Ivan by claiming that he leaked his resignation letter. Read more. Prime Minister Theresa MAY moved quickly to try to shut down the row by appointing Sir Tim BARROW as the UK’s new Permanent Representative. Sir Tim is a career diplomat of 30 years who was the Ambassador to Russia and Head of the British foreign service’s Russia section, as well as previously serving in two senior positions in Brussels. He will take up the role this week. Read more.
Public Affairs:
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Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE): Ruthven GEMMELL was appointed as the new President, succeeding Michel BENICHOU.
European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV): Nikos MANARAS is leaving his post as Senior EU Affairs and Media Coordinator to take on a new role as Account Manager at Acumen Public Affairs as of 9 January.
European Climate Foundation: Laurence TUBIANA was appointed as Chief Executive Officer as of 1 March 2017, succeeding Dr Johannes MEIER who resigned for family reasons.
European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR): Bjorn DELBEECKE joined the team as Technical and Regulatory Affairs Manager.
European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG): The General Assembly Andreas BARCKOW, President of the German Standard Setter ASCG as Vice- President of the EFRAG Board.
News in a nutshell:
EU Presidency: Malta officially took over from Slovakia the rotating presidency as of 1 January 2017. Read more.
Brexit: Environment Secretary Andrea LEADSOM, who was a leading advocate of Brexit during the referendum reassured UK farmers will still be able to bring in EU nationals to carry out seasonal agricultural work after Brexit. Read more. Prime Minister Theresa MAY will make a major speech later this month for the UK after Brexit in which she will make explicit that curbs on immigration are a red line in the upcoming negotiations. Read more
Romania: The new government under Sorin GRINDEANU took oath on Wednesday 4 January. Sevil SHHAIDEH was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, after the President rejected her nomination as Prime Minister. Teodor-Viorel MELEȘCANU was appointed Foreign Minister, replacing Lazăr COMĂNESCU. Ana BIRCHALL was appointed Minister Delegate for European Affairs and Viorel ȘTEFAN replaced Ana Dana DRAGU as Finance Minister.
