Keep track of developments in the European institutions and public affairs with our Movers and Shakers column.
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European Parliament
Outgoing
Vice-president of The Left group, João Ferreira (The Left, PT) has vacated his seat in Parliament following his candidacy to presidency of the Lisbon Chamber with the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU).
Incoming
Outgoing member João Ferreira (The Left, PT) has been replaced by experienced Parliamentarian João Pimenta Lopes (The Left, PT) who previously served as MEP between 2016-19. Pimenta Lopes will replace Ferreira in his previous function as vice-president of The Left group and has said that he hopes "the group continues to be, as up to now, a space for cooperation between left-wing, progressive political forces" and a "group with a confederal nature...”.
Political Groups
EPP
The group has expanded in size with the addition of two new Italian members - Luisa Regimenti (EPP, IT) and Lucia Vuolo (EPP, IT). Both Regimenti and Vuolo left the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in June and subsequently left their national party, Matteo Salvini’s The League.
Committees and Delegations
Members
Incoming MEP João Ferreira (The Left, PT) joins the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN), Fisheries Committee (PECH), Palestine Delegation (D-PAL) and the ACP-EU Delegation (D-ACP).
Lars Patrick Berg (ECR, DE) joins the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON).
Annalisa Tardino (ID, IT) joins the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI).
Substitutes
Ferreira (The Left, PT) also joins the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO), the Beating Cancer Special Committee (BECA) and the Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia Delegation (D-CAS).
MEP News
Lars Patrick Berg (ECR, DE) has joined the German Liberal-Conservative Reformers Party (LKR). Berg left his national party Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the ID Group, last month to join the ECR group.
European Commission
Directorates-General and Services
Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA)
Elisabetta Siracusa has been appointed principal adviser and will be in charge of advising the Director-General on issues pertaining to sustainable finance. Siracusa is currently working as Seconded Head of Unit in the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI).
Representations
The Commission has appointed Sofia Moreira de Sousa as the new Head of Representation in Lisbon, Portugal. She will take office on 1 September 2021. Moreira de Sousa, a Portuguese national, is the current EU Ambassador to Cabo Verde.
European External Action Service (EEAS)
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell has announced the appointments of 21 new director and heads of delegation. For a comprehensive list, please see here.
Appointments of note include Belén Martinez Carbonell as Managing Director for Human Rights, Global and Multilateral Issues replacing Lotte Knudsen. Martinez Carbonell is currently Director of Human Resources in the EEAS. She previously served as Head of the Policy coordination Division. Kristin De Peyron has been appointed Director of Human Resources. She is currently Deputy Managing Director for Global Affairs in the EEAS.
Court of Justice of the European Union
Court of Justice
Küllike Jürimäe (EE) has been reappointed as a judge of the Court of Justice.
Manuel Campos Sánchez-Bordona (ES) has been reappointed as an advocate-general of the Court of Justice.
Maria Lourdes Arastey Sahún (ES) has been appointed for the post of judge of the Court of Justice.
Tamara Ćapeta (HR) has been appointed for the post of advocate-general of the Court of Justice.
The proposed appointments are for a term of office ending on 6 October 2027.
General Court
Maja Brkan has been appointed as Judge at the General Court of the European Union for the period from 6 July 2021 to 31 August 2025. Brkan’s appointment follows a decision made in February last year to double the size of court to alleviate heavy workload. The General Court was due to gradually increase from 28 judges to 56, giving each EU country two judges instead of one. But following Brexit, the court will now have 54 judges instead of 56. Full press release here.
Public Affairs
European Aluminium
Ingrid Jörg, President Aerospace and Transportation at Constellium, has been appointed as chair starting on 1 July 2021. Jörg will take over from Emilio Braghi, senior vice-president and president at Novelis Europe, who chaired the association from January 2019 to June 2021. In addition, Pia Alina Lange has been appointed as Director of Public Affairs and Communications as of July 2021. Previously, Lange headed the communications department at non-profit association RECHARGE.
European Research Council
Professor Maria Leptin has been appointed as the next president and will commence her role on 1 October 2021 for a four-year term. Leptin is currently the Director of EMBO (the European Molecular Biology Organization).
Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg
FTI Consulting ’s Pablo López-Alvarez has been unanimously elected as the new President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg. López-Alvarez is one of the four Senior Managing Directors of FTI Consulting in Brussels and heads the EU Competition, Trade and International Litigation practice.
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National News
Romania
Prime minister Florin Citu announced the dismissal of Alexandru Nazare from the position of minister of finance citing delays the finance ministry has accumulated on reforms. Citu will step in as interim minister of finance until a replacement is appointed.
Sweden
Stefan Löfven has reassumed his role as prime minister one week after resigning on the back of a parliament vote-of-confidence. Löfven has held power since 2014 in a coalition with the Greens. He resigned after a clash with his political allies over housing policy and faces general elections next year.
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