Commission fills more top posts

By Tim King

Date: 22/12/05

At their last meeting of the year, European commissioners were expected today (21 December) to make a further round of appointments to senior posts in their administration.

Claus Sørensen is in line to become the new director-general for communication. A Dane, he is currently head of cabinet for his compatriot the Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel. Before that he was a director in the environment department, when the environment commissioner was Margot Wallström, who is now the commissioner for communication policy.

The new director-general of energy and transport, in succession to François Lamoureux, is to be Matthias Ruete, a 54-year-old German national who has since January 2005 been a director in the Commission's enterprise and industry department, with responsibility for competitiveness. Before that he was a director in the enlargement department dealing with Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

Alexander Italianer, deputy head of the cabinet of the Commission President José Manuel Barroso, is expected to become deputy secretary-general of the Commission, in succession to Enzo Moavero Milanesi. The 49-year-old Dutchman was a member of the cabinet of the then Commission president Jacques Santer in 1995-99 and was head of cabinet for Günter Verheugen in 1999-2002.

Fokion Fotiadis is to become deputy director-general for external relations, where he has been a director for Asia policy since 2001. Before that he headed the Commission's delegation in Bucharest. The appointments will take effect in January.

Reports of new senior personnel appointment sin the European Commission