Long service rewarded

Date: 19/09/1996

The Economic and Social Committee has rewarded long service and elevated Adriano Graziosi to the post of secretary-general.

Graziosi, 62, first joined the Committee 33 years ago and has been a director-general since 1987. He thus comes to the job with invaluable inside experience.

The last two men to hold the post were outsiders: Belgian Simon-Pierre Nothomb, whom Graziosi replaces, was a candidate of the ESC's employer group but was unfamiliar with the EU. Many felt he had difficulty adjusting to the ESC environment because of his background in university administration and the United Nations.

Before Nothomb, who took early retirement before the summer break, the post was held by French trade unionist Jacques Moreau, a former MEP and chairman of the European Parliament's economic affairs committee.

This time, Graziosi, who was born in Tunis and is a master of six languages, was the only name in the frame and he was unanimously elected by the ESC bureau.

The betting now is that the French, who attach more importance to the ESC than many other nationalities, will use the time until a replacement is needed to manoeuvre one of their own into position to succeed Graziosi.