Movers and Shakers | 3 September 2021

Today’s Movers & Shakers are about: The latest European Commission Directorates-General and Services changes, new Heads of Delegations of the European Union, cabinet reshuffles and more!
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By Nisa Khan

Nisa Khan is the Editor of Dods People EU and the European Public Affairs Directory (EPAD)

03 Sep 2021

Keep track of developments in the European institutions and public affairs with our Movers and Shakers column.

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European Parliament

Parliament has returned this week.

European Commission

Commissioner Cabinets

Cabinet of Janez Lenarčič
Lukas Holub joins the team as a member of cabinet. His responsibilities include coordination of emergency response, humanitarian aid regulation, transport and logistics and knowledge network and evidence-based policy.

Cabinet of Virginijus Sinkevičius
Arūnas Ribokas joins the team as a member of cabinet. His responsibilities include maritime security, global sustainable development goals and relations with national parliaments.

Directorates-General and Services

Budget (BUDG)
Iliyana Tsanova replaces Reinder van der Zee as Deputy Director-General who had been covering the role in an acting capacity.

Climate Action (CLIMA)
Yvon Slingenberg replaces Artur Runge-Metzger as director of directorate C (Climate Strategy, Governance and Emissions from Non-trading Sectors).
Elina Bardram replaces Yvon Slingenberg as director of directorate A (International, Mainstreaming and Policy Coordination).

International Partnerships (INTPA)
Chiara Adamo replaces Henriette Geiger as director of directorate G (Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace) in an acting capacity.

Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Delilah Al Khudhairy replaces Matthew King as director of directorate I (Competences), who had been covering the role in an acting capacity. Al Khudhairy had been director of directorate A (Strategy, Work Programme and Resources), which will now be covered by the director of  directorate E (International and General Affairs) Sabine Henzler in an acting capacity.
King has replaced Giancarlo Caratti di Lanzacco as the new head of unit I4 (Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer), with Charles Macmillan taking over as head of unit I3 (Text and Data Mining) in an acting capacity.

Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO)
Peter Berkowitz replaces Nicola de Michelis as director of directorate B (Policy).
Sofia Alves replaces Normunds Popens as director of directorate E (Administrative Capacity Building and Programmes Implementation II).
Normunds Popens replaces Erich Unterwurzacher as director of directorate F (Better Implementation, Closure and Programme Implementation III).
Peter Berkowitz replaces Nicola de Michelis as director of directorate B (Policy).

To see the full list of Commission head of unit level appointments click here.

Other EU Institutions and Agencies

European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA)
Dr Susan Steele, an Irish marine biologist, has been appointed to a five-year term as Executive Director of EFCA. She has served as the Executive Chair and CEO of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority of Ireland since 2013.

Commission Representations

Cyprus
Myrto Zambarta has been appointed as head of the representation in Nicosia. Zambarta was the head of unit in the Directorate General for Trade, responsible for Multilateral Affairs and the World Trade Organisation.

Paris
Valérie Drezet-Humez has been appointed as head of the representation in Paris. Drezet-Humez has over 2 decades of experience in the Commission, most recently in the Secretariat-General.

Luxembourg
Anne Calteux has been appointed as head of the representation in Luxembourg and will take up her duties at a date still to be decided.

European External Action Service (EEAS)
High Representative Josep Borrell announced the appointments of 30 new Heads of Delegations of the European Union, including Dimiter Tzantchevin in Israel and Emanuele Giaufret in Serbia.

To see the full list of EEAS head of delegation appointments click here.

Public Affairs

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The British Chamber of Commerce has appointed Sue Arundale as Chief Executive Officer. She has more than 15 years of experience in EU affairs and will assume responsibilities on 18 October 2021.

Kinga Timaru-Kast is the new Director for Public Affairs and Communications at RECHARGE, the Advanced Rechargeable & Lithium Batteries Association. She was previously the Director Communications, Projects and Funding at EUFORES, the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources.

National News

Bulgaria
Bulgaria is preparing for its third parliamentary election this year after no party was able to gain support for a coalition government. It is likely that this will take place following the Presidential election in November.

Denmark
Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen has been appointed as the Minister for Culture and Ecclesiastical Affairs, replacing Joy Mogensen who resigned due to personal reasons.

Jesper Petersen, who was the political spokesman for the Social Democratic Party, has been promoted to Minister for Higher Education and Science.

Estonia
Alar Karis has been elected as the country’s new president by the parliament following a second round of voting in which he was the only candidate. Karis will assume office on 11 October 2021.

Greece
The Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a cabinet reshuffle. The key changes include Thanos Plevris replacing Vassilis Kikilias as Minister for Health, Vassilis Kikilias replacing Haris Theocharis as Minister for Tourism and Panagiotis Theodorikakos replacing Michalis Chrysochoidis as Minister for Civil Protection.

Netherlands
Sigrid Kaag stepped down as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation following her election as the leader of her party Democrats 66 (ALDE). Tom de Bruijn is her replacement as Minister.

Cora van Nieuwenhuizen resigned as Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management to start her new job as chariman of Energie Nederland. Barbara Visser has been appointed as the new Minister.

Poland
Jarosław Gowin, the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the centre-right junior coalition party Agreement, has been dismissed from the government due to his criticism of the Polish economic stimulus programme.

Romania
Dan Vîlceanu has been appointed as the new Minister for Finance after Prime Minister Florin Citu dismissed Alexandru Nazare in July.

Florin Citu also dismissed Justice Minister Stelian Ion with Internal Affairs Minister Lucian Bode covering the role in the interim.

Spain
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez carried out a cabinet reshuffle which resulted in an increase in female representation and a reduced average age. The new government includes:

Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation - José Manuel Albares Bueno
Minister of Justice - Pilar Llop Cuenca
Minister of Finance and Public Function - María Jesús Montero Cuadrado
Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda - Raquel Sánchez Jiménez
Minister of Education and Vocational Training - Pilar Alegría Continente
Minister of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory - Félix Bolaños García
Minister of Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson - Isabel Rodríguez García
Minister of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda - Ione Belarra Urteaga
Minister of Culture and Sports - Miquel Iceta i Llorens
Minister of Health - Carolina Darias San Sebastián
Minister of Science and Innovation - Diana Morant Ripoll.

Sweden
Jennie Nilsson, Minister for Rural Affairs, resigned so that she could return to her seat in parliament to vote on Stefan Löfven’s candidacy as Prime Minister. Ibrahim Baylan, Minister of Trade and Industry, is responsible for rural affairs until a new minister is appointed.

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Commission Head of Unit Appointments

To return to the main article click here.

Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI)
Marius Lazdinis replaces Liam Breslin as head of unit E5 (Pre-Accession Assistance) in an acting capacity.

Climate Action (CLIMA)
Cecile Hanoune replaces Peter Zapfel as head of unit C2 (Governance and Effort Sharing).

Competition (COMP)
Julia Brockhoff replaces José Maria Carpi Badia as head of unit A2 (Mergers Case Support and Policy).
Alexander Winterstein replaces Julia Brockhoff as head of unit R5 (Communications Policy).

Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS)
Jolanda Van Eijndthoven replaces Dinka Dinkova as head of unit B3 (International Relations and Communication).

Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN)
Alessandro Turrini replaces Erik Canton as head of unit B2 (Economics of Structural Reforms and Investment).
Joern Griesse replaces Maarten Masselink as head of unit E2 (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands).
Patrick D’Souza replaces Alessandro Turrini as head of unit E3 (Bulgaria, Romania, Sweden).

Energy (ENER)
Łukasz Koliński replaces Antonio Lopez-Nicolas as head of unit C1 (Renewables and Energy System Integration Policy).
Kitti Nyitrai replaces Catharina Sikow-Magny as head of unit C2 (Decarbonisation and Sustainability of Energy Sources).
Christof Lessenich replaces Oliver Koch as head of unit C3 (Internal Energy Market).
Miguel Gil Tertre replaces Łukasz Koliński as head of unit A4 (Economic Analysis and Foresight, Recovery).

Human Resources and Security (HR)
Thierry Sonmereyn replaces Antje Collowald as head of unit R2 (Budget and Financial Transactions) in an acting capacity.
Mojca Boltin replaces Yves Paternoster as head of unit 6 (Account Management Centre).
Anne Devouche replaces Yves Paternoster as head of unit 7 (Account Management Centre) in an acting capacity.

Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Greet Janssens-Maenhout replaces Luisa Marelli as head of unit D1 (Bio-Economy).
Dario Tarchi replaces Dessislava Choumelova as head of unit E6 (Demography, Migration and Governance) in an acting capacity.
Hugues Crutzen replaces Hendrik Emons as head of unit F5 (Food and Feed Compliance) in an acting capacity.
Rachel Eloirdi replaces Roberto Caciuffo as head of unit G5 (Nuclear Science and Applications).

Justice and Consumers (JUST)
Ingrid Bellander-Todino replaces Georgia Georgiadou as head of unit C2 (Fundamental Rights Policy).

Migration and Home Affairs (HOME)
Laura Corrado replaces Florian Geyer as head of unit A1 (Policy Coordination and Interinstitutional Relations).
Magdalena Jagiello replaces Laura Corrado as head of unit C2 (Legal Pathways and Integration) in an acting capacity.

Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR)
Eric Trotemann replaces Holger Schroeder as head of R1 (Resource Planning and IT).
Holger Schroeder replaces Colin Wolfe as head of unit D5 (Western Balkans Regional Cooperation and Programmes).

Office for Infrastructure and Logistics in Brussels (OIB)
Sari Lehkonen replaces Marc Becquet as head of department (Management of Real Estate).

Paymaster Office (PMO)
Przemyslaw Slowik replaces Christelle Fontbonne Proniewski as head of unit 7 (Budget and Internal Control).

Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO)
Nicola de Michelis replaces Peter Berkowitz as head of unit G1 (Smart and Sustainable Growth and Programmes Implementation IV).

Secretariat-General (SG)
Valérie Drezet-Humez leaves her position as head of unit A4 (Briefings for the President and Vice-Presidents).

Trade (TRADE)
Myrto Zambarta leaves her position as head of unit A1 (Multilateral Affairs and WTO) to take up the position of head of representation in Cyprus.

Translation (DGT)
Kamila Adámková replaces Jakub Cháb as head of the Czech Language Department in Directorate A in an acting capacity.

EEAS Head of Delegation Appointments

To return to the main article click here.

Katja Afheldt is the new head of delegation to the Dominican Republic.
Paola Amadei is the new head of delegation to Lesotho.
Paolo Berizzi is the new head of delegation to Uruguay.
Gilles Bertrand is the new head of delegation to Colombia.
Douglas Carpenter is the new head of delegation to Central African Republic.
Dessislava Choumelova is the new head of delegation to Eswatini.
David Daly is the new head of delegation to Thailand.
Thomas Eckert is the new head of delegation to Algeria.
Gaspar Frontini is the new head of delegation to Peru.
Javier García De Viedma is the new head of delegation to Paraguay.
Tiina Intelmann is the new head of delegation to Somalia.
Samuela Isopi is the new head of delegation to Nigeria and Economic community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Kestutis Jankauskas is the new head of delegation to Kazakhstan.
Gwilym Jones is the new head of delegation to Mauritania.
Roland Kobia is the new head of delegation to Ethiopia.
Janis Mazeiks is the new head of delegation to the Republic of Moldova.
Peter Michalko is the new head of delegation to Azerbaijan.
Manuel Mueller is the new head of delegation to Sierra Leone.
Bettina Muscheidt is the new head of delegation to Nicaragua.
Axelle Nicaise is the new head of delegation to Mongolia.
Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa is the new head of delegation to Cuba.
Iwona Piorko Bermig is the new head of delegation to Singapore.
Irchad Razaaly is the new head of delegation to Ghana.
Amador Sánchez Rico is the new head of delegation to Argentina.
François Roudie is the new head of delegation to El Salvador and to the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Rune Skinnebach is the new head of delegation to the Republic of Malawi.
Ville Varjola is the new head of delegation to Iraq.
Charles Whiteley is the new head of delegation to Bangladesh.


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