European Commission appoints new Head of Representation in Slovakia

Mr Miko, a Czech national, will take up office on 1 January 2018. He brings to his new role excellent knowledge of the EU institutions gained over his ten yearsat the European Commission in high-level positions; nearly 20 years of experience in the Slovak and Czech public administration and academia, much of it in management jobs, as well as a wide network of contacts with stakeholders in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Mr Miko joined the Commission in 2005 to serve as a Director in the Directorate General for Environment. In 2011, he was promoted to the position of a Deputy Director-General in the Commission's health directorate, dealing with safety in the food chain.

Mr Miko joined the Commission from the Czech civil service, where he had served as a Vice-Minister in the Ministry of Environment. In 2009, he briefly returned to the Czech public administration to serve as the Minister of Environment. Between 1992 and 2001, he held a variety of positions in the Czech Environmental Inspectorate, including Deputy Head of the Inspectorate. He began his career in 1984 in the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where he held several jobs, including Head of the Soil Zoology Department and Deputy Director of the Scientific Committee of the Institute.

Mr Miko obtained his PhD in Zoology and Ecology in 1996 from Charles University in Prague, got a habilitation from the University of Life Sciences in Prague in 2009 and has been a guest professor at the University of Antwerp since 2010.

Background

The European Commission has Representations in all 28 EU Member States as well as Regional Offices in Barcelona, Belfast, Bonn, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Marseille, Milan, Munich and Wroclaw. The Representations are the Commission's eyes, ears and voice on the ground in all EU Member States. They interact with national authorities and stakeholders and inform the media and the public about EU policies. The Representations report to the Commission's headquarters on significant developments in the Member States. Since the beginning of the Juncker Commission, Heads of Representations are appointed by the President and are his political representatives in the Member State to which they are posted.

For More Information:

https://ec.europa.eu/slovakia/home_sk

IP/17/4614