Defraigne keen to shine at DG Trade

Date: 01/08/02

By Martin Banks

PASCAL Lamy's right-hand man has pledged to throw himself into his new role as deputy director-general in DG Trade with 'intellectual and psychological drive'.

Pierre Defraigne, currently head of cabinet for the trade commissioner, says the job would enable him to draw on more than two decades of experience in dealing with the 'expectations and fears, both rational and irrational', of developing countries.

The 62-year-old Belgian spent 14 years as director of North-South Relations in DG Relex before taking up his current post and, prior to that, was head of cabinet for Etienne Davignon for seven years.

In between, he spent 12 months as a fellow at the Centre for International Affairs at Harvard, an experience he describes as the 'greatest' of his life.

Defraigne replaces Briton Roderick Abbott as number- two to Peter Carl and accepts it is likely be his last job with the Commission. However, he said it was 'impossible' to retire. 'They say old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Well, it is the same with old civil servants.'

Defraigne, who said he had undergone a 'demanding' selection procedure, said he was content to move from his highly influential current position.

He said: 'I am not a man of power. I'm a man of conviction and analysis. Power has no specific attraction for me.'

He also paid a glowing tribute to his successor, 37-year-old Frenchman Nicolas Théry, describing him as a 'whiz-kid'.

Théry was a high-flier at the Paris-based Ecole Nationale d'Administration and has worked as an advisor to three French ministers, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Christian Sautter and Florence Parly.

Pierre Defraigne is replacing Roderick Abbott as deputy director-general of DG Trade.