COLLEGE MEETING: The European Commission appoints two Director-Generals and two Directors

Today, the European Commission has decided to appoint Mr Gerassimos Thomas as new Director-General in DG Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD) and Ms Florika Fink-Hooijer as new Director-General in DG Environment (ENVI). Mr Thomas, a Greek national and an economist by training, has acquired broad and very relevant experience during his career for his new function. He has worked in a number of different services at senior level within the Commission, including as Director in the DG for Economic and Financial Affairs between 2009 and 2014, and as Deputy Director-General of DG Energy from 2014 to 2019. He also served as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs from 2005 to 2009. For the past year, he has held the position of Deputy Minister for Environment and Energy in Greece. The College also decided to transfer in the interest of the service, Ms Florika Fink-Hooijer, currently Director-General of DG Interpretation (SCIC), to the function of Director-General of DG ENVI. Ms Fink-Hooijer, a German lawyer, has been Director-General of DG SCIC since 1 June 2016. Prior to that, she had served as Director for Strategy, Policy and International Cooperation – DG Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection from 2012 to 2016. In the preceding two and half years, she assumed the role of Head of Cabinet for the Commissioner responsible for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. In the earlier stages of her career, she took on several Head of Unit positions, notably in the external relations field, while also serving in the cabinet of different Commissioners. In her new post, Ms Fink-Hooijer will benefit from her robust management experience and her expertise of a broad range of policy areas. The date of effect of both of the above decisions will be determined later. The College also decided to appoint two directors today. Ms Nathalie Chaze, a French national, will take on the function of Director in DG for Health and Food Safety (SANTE), Directorate “Food chain: stakeholder and international relations”. Ms Anne Montagnon, a French national, will become Director in the DG for Mobility and Transport (MOVE), at the Shared Resource Directorate for DG MOVE and DG ENER. The date of effect in both cases remains to be determined.