Slovak woman takes senior Commission job in re-shuffle

The European Commission yesterday (18 July) promoted Katarína Mathernová, a 43-year-old Slovak, to the post of deputy director-general (DDG) for regional policy, at one stroke improving its record on appointments to senior management of women and of candidates from new EU states.

The commissioners also made four more appointments to the level of deputy directors-general, but in all four cases those appointed were from old EU states and three of them were men.

Mathernová, a former World Bank official, joined the Commission in 2005 and is currently a director for regional policy.

Paola Testori-Coggi, a director in the department for health and consumer protection, is the other new woman DDG. She is currently a director in the department, with responsibility for the safety of the food chain. A 54-year-old Italian, earlier in her career she worked in the cabinets of commissioners Filippo Pandolfi and Emma Bonino and she is a veteran of the mad cow disease and dioxin crises.

João Aguiar Machado, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who is a director in the trade department, has been promoted to DDG for external relations, in charge of relations with Asia and Latin America. Hugues Mingarelli, a 52-year-old Frenchman, is made DDG in the same department, responsible for European neighbourhood policy and relations with eastern Europe, the southern Caucasus and central Asia, the Middle East and southern Mediterranean. He is currently director and acting DDG in that department. Antti Peltomäki, who last year was made head of the Commission’s office in Helsinki, has been made DDG for the information society and media. He previously worked in the office of the prime minister of Finland.

Nicholas Bearfield, a former member of the private office of Neil Kinnock when he was commissioner for reform, has been made head of the European Communities Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), which is an office of all the EU institutions. The 42-year-old Briton is currently head of the internal communication unit in the Commission’s personnel and administration department, but has been temporarily seconded to the office of Commissioner Siim Kallas.

The Commission also made four appointments at director level. Daniela Marinescu-Gheorghe becomes a director in the fisheries department, the first appointment of a Romanian to a senior management post in the Commission. Stephan Lechner, a German, becomes a director of the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, part of the Commission’s Joint Research Centre at Ispra. Ian Walton-George, who is an acting director in the anti-fraud office Olaf, has been confirmed in the post. Marianne Klingbeil, a head of unit in DG environment, has been made a director in the secretariat-general.

The Commission also approved changes to the structure of the competition department. Where before the department had three deputy directors-general - for state aid, for mergers and for anti-trust - in the new scheme Nadia Calviño will take charge of mergers and antitrust, Lowri Evans will have responsibility for operations, running across the different policy areas, and a third DDG (currently vacant) will be for state aid. There will be commensurate changes beneath the level of DDG. Commission officials said the aim was to deploy staff more efficiently where they were needed.

In the Commission’s environment department a post of deputy director-general has been created.

The European Commission yesterday (18 July) promoted Katarína Mathernová, a 43-year-old Slovak, to the post of deputy director-general (DDG) for regional policy, at one stroke improving its record on appointments to senior management of women and of candidates from new EU states.