Commission appoints senior managers in its departments for agriculture and for environment

The Commission has today appointed two Directors – Ms Veronica Manfredi and Mr Michael Niejahr – in its departments for the environment (DG Environment) and for agriculture and rural development (DG Agriculture), respectively. It has also appointed Mr Thomas Verheye to the position of a Principal Adviser in its department for the environment. Ms Manfredi, an Italian national, joined the European Commission in 1999. Between 2002 and 2011, she consecutively worked in the private offices of Commissioners Bolkestein – then in charge of internal market and fiscal affairs – and Kallas – first in charge of administration and then, of transport. Ms Manfredi has been Head of the Consumer and Marketing Law Unit in the Commission’s justice department since 2011. She will take up her new position of Director “Quality of life” in DG Environment at a date that will be set later. Mr Niejahr, a German national, is taking up his new position of a Director “Legal, Institutional and Procedural Matters” in DG Agriculture as of 1 December. Mr Niejahr joined the European Commission in 1993. He has worked in the area of agricultural law since 1998 – first in the Commission’s Legal Service and then in DG Agriculture, where he first became Head of Unit in 2005. Mr Niejahr is currently leading DG Agriculture’s agricultural law team. Mr Verheye, a Belgian national, will become a Principal Adviser“Green finance and investments” on 1 December in DG Environment. After jobs in the International Monetary Fund and in the private sector, Mr Verheye joined the European Commission in 1996 and DG Environment in 2002. Mr Verheye first became Head of Unit in 2011. He is currently Head of Unit in charge of green finance and economic analysis in DG Environment.