Wissels moves into Czech hot-seat as enlargement DG takes shape

Date: 02/11/00

Following the move by Michael Leigh, the Commission's former chief negotiator with the Czech Republic, to take on responsibility for the most 'difficult' applicant countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus and Turkey - a replacement to deal with the Czechs has been found in the highly able form of Rutger Wissels, one-time adviser to ex-External Relations Commissioner Hans van den Broek.

Meanwhile, Budapest is still waiting to hear about a permanent replacement for the Commission's former chief negotiator Giorgio Bonnaci, who has been given the headache of running the institution's new external aid agency, EuropeAid. Colin Wolfe, former Malta desk expert, is temporarily handling talks with the Hungarians.

Other beneficiaries of efforts by enlargement director-general Eneko Landaburu to turn what was originally conceived as a temporary task force into a full-blown directorate-general include Françoise Gaudenzi, who was formerly tasked with reading the riot act to Poland on a regular basis. She has added the Baltics to her reponsibilities.

Matthias Ruete is now in charge of horizontal questions, while the search continues for someone to play hard ball with Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary.