Lady Ashton's boys & girls band. His cabinet (maj3)

(BRUSSELS2) Since its first composition, the cabinet of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU has evolved well, with some departures and some arrivals.

It can be seen that it corresponds to the classic composition of a cabinet of the European Commission. Each of its members is thus in charge of the files of the portfolio (external relations) and must keep an eye on the other files of the Commission. Lady Ashton being, also, as vice-president of the Commission, a commissioner who has a say in the college on all files, even outside her competence. The composition reflects a more successful balance than at the start, between his relatives from his cabinet as Trade Commissioner and former Solana cabinet. We can notice that many of them have a passage through the United Kingdom (quite logical) or through the Balkans. Like any cabinet, there are also some "Off". Here is the current composition.

James morrison (UK) : chief of staff. Responsible for general coordination and EEAS. A former member of the Ashton cabinet and a pure British diplomat. Background: He began his career in the Nationality and Immigration Department of the Home Office in London but quickly moved, in 1991, to the Foreign Office (FCO) where he worked on humanitarian issues and war crimes. He then spent the next five years at the UK Representation to the EU dealing with trade or international aid issues until 1998 (date of UK EU Presidency). In 1999, he returned to the FCO as spokesman and then became private secretary to two ministers responsible for Europe (in Tony Blair's government). After having been head of the CFSP department (common foreign and security policy), he returned to Brussels where he was responsible for the "presidency" team during the British presidency of the EU in 2005, also in charge of trade issues. and relations with Asia. After a stint at university level at the Ashridge Business School, he returned to the European Commission in 2008 as Head of Cabinet to Catherine Ashton (Commerce). Such. +322 299 9156

Helene-Holm Pedersen (DK): deputy chief of staff, adviser "Balkans, Enlargement" as well as monitoring the Foreign Affairs Council, also monitors Development (Commissioner Piebalgs) and Employment issues. A former member of the Rehn (Enlargement) cabinet, where she was in charge of Bosnia, Kosovo, development and humanitarian aid, as well as relations with the Council and the "consumer" dossier. Background: After working with the High Representative of the International Community (OHR) in Bosnia and Brussels, at the OECD and with the EU Special Representative in Skopje, she joined the Council Secretariat Task Force in 2002 , led by EU Special Representative Lord Ashdown. Then moved in 2005 to the cabinet of Olli Rehn (Commissioner for Enlargement). Such. +322 299 3693

Pelayo Castro-Zuzuarregui (SP): Middle East adviser and "Euromed, UPM, Barcelona Process". He also follows the SEAE process and is in charge of the Enterprise - Industry dossier. After having been an administrator in the "International Trade" commission of the European Parliament, he was since 2007 "personal assistant" to the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose-Luis Zapatero. Useful background to ensure the link with the Spanish presidency. Another career path: assistant to the corresponding chef of El Pais in the USA. "Junior Officer" at the Economic Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Brussels. Curriculum: Masters degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges (Leonardo da Vinci promotion), Master of Science in Foreign Service and Honors Certificate in International Business Diplomacy from Georgetown University (Washington DC), Degree in Political Science from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His wife is Dutch and they have a daughter. Such. +322 299 8111

 

Renate Nikolay (DU): adviser "Asia" (China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia) and relations with Parliament". She also follows Trade (Commissioner de Gucht), Climate, Environment and Agriculture files. A former member of the Ashton cabinet (Trade) where she was in charge of relations with Parliament and of Peter Mandelson's cabinet (Trade), in charge of food safety issues. She started her career at the German Foreign Office.
Phone. +322 299 9033

Steven Everts (NL): adviser "USA, Canada, UN" and speechwriter, he also took charge of the "Energy" file. 39 years old. A former member of the Solana firm. He was the personal representative of Javier Solana (High Representative) on Energy and Foreign Policy. Background: special adviser in charge of transatlantic relations (Us Canada), the OSCE, the Council of Europe of the G8 and climate change (2005-2008). Researcher at the Center for European Reform in London (1999-2004) and teacher at the Brasenose college of the University of Oxford, in charge of international relations (1996-1998). Education: Born in 1970, graduated from a British university, doctorate in international law, with a promising thesis title: "Adaptation in Foreign Policy. British and French reactions to German unification". He also studied at the University of Leiden (Netherlands) in political science. Such. +322 295 9413

Carl Hallergaard (SWE): adviser "Central Asia" and monitoring of the Foreign Affairs Council. He is also in charge of the Terrorism, Arctic-Norway and Administration file. A former Solana firm. He was the "Balkans" adviser to the former High Representative. Career: after an internship in the cabinet of the Swedish Commissioner, Anita Gradin, he joined the European Commission at the Humanitarian Office (ECHO (1996), then moved to the Council Secretariat (2000) at the "Balkans" task force and in the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit (UPPAR) which later became the Policy Unit Education: Stockholm Business School, University of Political Science and Philosophy, College of Europe in Bruges (1995). Phone +322 295 9406

 

Alice Guitton (ENG): adviser "Crisis management and CSDP", "Iran", "NATO". She also monitors Education and Culture, Research files. A junior (32) from the Kouchner firm. A French diplomat, she was until now head of the governance mission at the Quai d'Orsay since May 2009, after having been adviser to the cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, in charge of questions of multilateral and strategic affairs (UN, piracy...) from 2007 to 2009 (particularly during the French presidency of the EU). First Secretary at the French Embassy in London (2005-2007). Editor in the political affairs division of the Quai d'Orsay (2002-2005) after having been in the economic affairs division, in charge of questions concerning international organizations and the UN (2000-2002). Curriculum: studies in philosophy at the University Sorbonne Paris IV and economics (1994-1997), political science Paris (1997). A graduate of the ENA (Averroès promotion 1998-2000), she did her compulsory internships at the Creuse prefecture and at Pernod Ricard. She was also a trainee at the European Court of Auditors (1996) and at the Delegation of the European Commission to the OECD and UNESCO (1995). Such. +322 295 0076

Alexandros Yannis (GRE): adviser "Africa, Türkiye, Kosovo", he is also in charge of maritime and fisheries affairs, as well as international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response. A researcher in political science, he worked with the EU's special envoy for Somalia (1994-1997), then at UNMIK in Kosovo with Bernard Kouchner, as a political adviser (1999-2000) and at the High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva (2001), before joining the Council of the EU as Western Balkans adviser to the DG E (external) of the Council of the EU. He was political adviser (Polad) to the EU special envoy for the South Caucasus (Peter Semneby). Such. +322 299 8112

 

Edward Bannerman (UK): G7-G20 Advisor, Australia - New Zealand. A former member of the Ashton (Trade) cabinet, where he was in charge of transatlantic policy, the WTO, the single market, energy, sovereign wealth funds and intellectual property rights. In the office of the High Representative, he has a more retiring role, but one that is formidably strategic: he is, in fact, in charge of monitoring the "sensitive" files that come to college for the British: internal market and financial services, economic affairs and financial (the euro), budget and financial programming (the British rebate), taxation, fraud, as well as think tanks. Such. +322 295 9351

Alexandra Knapton (UK) : adviser India, Sri Lanka, Caribbean, Pacific, Latin and Central America. She is also in charge of NGOs, questions of justice, internal affairs and citizenship. Background: She was in charge of some of these issues as first secretary at the Permanent Representation of the United Kingdom in Brussels (civil law, citizenship, human rights agency). But she was above all the "private secretary" of the Baroness when she exercised certain ministerial functions (in particular parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs) in the government of Tony Blair. Such. +322 297 6190

Zhivka Petkova (BULG): adviser "Afghanistan, Pakistan, UN, Russia". Former Deputy Head of Cabinet to Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva. Phone. +322 295 0376

Michael Jennings (UK): private secretary. Former "press officer" of Commissioner Ashton (Trade) after having exercised the same function with Peter Mandelson (since 2007). Career: head of the press service of the EC delegation in China and Mongolia (2005-2007). Head of press and public relations at Bayer China (2002-2005). Born in September 1976. Education: masters of letters and masters in economics and political science (1995-1999) at Trinity College Dublin (1995-1999 and 1999-2001), Baccalaureate (Abitur) in German at Freiherr-vom-Stein Grammar Leverkusen School (1995). Such. +322 298 6880

Maja Kocijancic (SLO): HR spokesperson. Until now, she was the spokesperson for the Slovenian representation in Brussels and notably performed this function during the Slovenian presidency of the EU in 2008. She was previously the EU and NATO correspondent journalist for the Slovenian press agency (STA). Such. +322 298 6570

Darren Ennis (IRL): press officer. Former Reuters journalist corresponding to European affairs in Brussels. Phone. +32 2 296 3293.

NB: Catherine Ashton's Military Advisor is the General Hakan Syren (SWE), chairman of the military committee.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)