European Commission appoints Paraskevi Michou as new Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs
The appointment will take effect on 1 March. The current Director-General Matthias Ruete, one of the Commission's most experienced senior officials, will become Hors-Classe Adviser for strategic matters related to Energy Union, Security Union, Subsidiarity and Proportionality in the Secretariat-General. The appointment will also take effect on 1 March and will last until the end of this year.
Ms Paraskevi Michou, a Greek national, joined the European Commission in 1995 and has worked in several Commission departments, including as Acting Director-General in its Justice department between October 2014 and October 2015. Given the breadth of her experience across the Commission, she was appointed to her current position as Deputy Secretary-General in charge of Institutional and Administrative Policies, Smart Regulation and Work Programme in 2015. Ms Michou is one of the Commission's key players in shaping the Commission's overall response to the migration crisis, notably by steering the Commission's crisis management on migration across all services. In her new function as Director-General, Ms Michou will work directly with Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos i, in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, and with Commissioner Julian King i, in charge of Security Union, under the authority of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans i, in charge of Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Matthias Ruete, a German national, joined the Commission in 1986. During his successful and long-standing career, he held many important positions and contributed greatly to developing the Commission's policies in areas like enlargement, transport, energy and, most recently, migration and home affairs. Since 2006, he served successively as Director-General in the Commission's departments for Energy and Transport, for Mobility and Transport and for Migration and Home Affairs. Given his vast experience and deep knowledge of key Commission policies, his advice on strategic matters will continue to be highly valuable for the institution.
Both appointments will ensure continuity in the leadership and a smooth succession in the crucial area of migration and home affairs.
For more information:
IP/18/544
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