Cabinet of Mr Donald Tusk, President of the European Council
Today the handover ceremony between the outgoing President Herman Van Rompuy and the new President Donald Tusk took place.
Herman Van Rompuy in his speech said: ”It is a president coming from a country that, 25 years and a few weeks ago, was separated from the Union by the Iron Curtain. Now the favourite son of Poland is at the helm of the most important political institution of our Union. It really is a special moment. […] I am confident that the European Council is in good hands, in the hands of a man of experience and wisdom, a true European, an open mind and an open heart.”
Donald Tusk stressed out the importance of sucess of Europe. He mentioned four priorities:
1. Protecting main values, such as solidarity, freedom, unity against the threats to the Union.
2. Determination to end economic crisis.
3. The European Union must be strong internationally
4. The relations between Europe and the United States of Amercia are the backbone of the community of the democracies.
Donald Tusk also presented his cabinet.
Head of Cabinet
Piotr Serafin
Strategy, coordination and management of the Cabinet
G7/G20
Deputy Head of Cabinet
André Gillissen
Strategic support to the Head of Cabinet
Coordination of European Council meetings
Senior Political and Communication Advisor of the President
Paweł Graś
Relations with the European Parliament, national parliaments and political parties
Horizontal Team
Katarzyna Smyk – Advisor
Horizontal coordination
Correspondence of the President
Human resources management
Paweł Karbownik – Advisor
Strategic agenda planning
G7/G20
Foreign Policy Team
Riina Kionka – Chief Foreign Policy Advisor
Management of the Foreign Policy team
Coordination of external policies
European Council programming on foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs Council
Carl Hartzell – Senior Advisor
Russia
Eastern Partnership countries
Central Asia
Western Balkans
Turkey
Non-EU Western Europe
Eastern Partnership horizontal
Enlargement
OSCE
Zuzana Michalcová Šutiaková – Advisor
Common Security and Defence Policy
NATO
Latin America and the Caribbean
Asia and the Pacific
UN
Council of Europe
Human Rights
Economic Team
Jean-Pierre Vidal – Chief Economic Advisor
Management of the Economic Affairs team
Economic and Monetary Affairs, including G7/G8 and G20
João Nogueira Martins – Advisor
European Semester
Macroeconomic developments in the EU and in the euro area
Programme countries
Alfredo Panarella – Advisor
Investment and growth policies (including, digital agenda, R&D, education, migration)
Financial sector policies
Christina Jordan – Advisor
Economic and Monetary Union
Employment and social affairs
Tax policy
Energy Union
Łukasz Koliński – Special Advisor on Energy Union
Energy union
Climate
Multiannual financial framework and annual budget
Press and Communication Team
Preben Aamann – Spokesperson of the President
Coordination of Press & Communications Team
Hugo Brady – Speechwriter of the President
Speeches, articles
Think Tanks
Luuk van Middelaar – Speechwriter of the President
Speeches, articles
Think Tanks
Private Office
Łukasz Broniewski – Head of Private Office
Management visits, summits and travels of the President
Relations with entrepreneurs and social partners, the Committee of Regions and the Economic and Social Committee
Stefan Smith – Personal Assistant to the President
Agenda and assistance of the President
Personal correspondence of the President
Emilia Surowska
Protocol
Administration management of summits, visits and travels of the President
Liaison officer with security, protocol, prevention
Tiina Kytola
Correspondence of the President
Registration of incoming and outgoing mail
Archiving
Secretariat of the Cabinet
Louisa Pincott – Personal Assistant to Piotr Serafin
Pilar Chaves – Personal Assistant to Andre Gillissen
Fabienne Geyzen – Assistant of the Horizontal Team
Miriam Cunill Rafael – Assistant to the Chief Foreign Policy Advisor
Sabina Bengtsson – Assistant to the Chief Economic Advisor and to the Special Advisor on Energy Union
Anita Gebruers – Assistant of the Economic Team
Marie Betavatzis – Assistant of the Press and Communication Team
Beata Turska – Assistant of the Press and Communication Team
Martine Withofs – Administrative Assistant – Human Resources and Training (COFO)
You can find the video of the ceremony and the speeches here:
http://www.european-council.europa.eu/the-president
The Speech of Donald Tusk can be found here:
The Speech of Herman Van Rompuy can be found here: