The European Commission appoints a Head of the Regional Office in Barcelona

The European Commission appoints a Head of the Regional Office in Barcelona

The European Commission has appointed today Mr Manuel Szapiro as the new Head of the Commission's Regional Office in Barcelona, Spain. The date of effect is to be determined at later stage.

Mr Szapiro, a French national, has over 20 years of experience in EU affairs, particularly in the fields of policy-making, diplomacy, finance and human resources. He is also an experienced negotiator having represented the Commission in international negotiation processes. He has already worked at the Commission's Region Office in Barcelona as a Political Reporter. As Advisor to the Executive Director of the Joint Undertaking Fusion for Energy (ITER Europe) he also helped set up the new Organisation in Barcelona.

A cornerstone of his career at the Commission relates to Europe's green transition on which he had worked for several years as responsible Cabinet member. As such, he initiated the European Battery Alliance and the Coal Regions in Transition initiative.

He is currently deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, and is responsible, among others, for EU-UK relations, interinstitutional relations, strategic programming and foresight. His experience at the Commission is further diversified by the different positions he held while working at the Secretariat General on Treaty reform, EU Agencies, European Citizens' Initiatives and the better regulation agenda.

Mr Szapiro is a visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges.

Background

The Commission maintains Representations in all capitals of EU Member States, and Regional Offices in Barcelona, Bonn, Marseille, Milan, Munich and Wroclaw. The Representations are the Commission's eyes, ears and voice on the ground in EU Member States. They interact with national authorities, stakeholders and citizens, and inform the media and the public about EU policies. Heads of Representations are appointed by the President of the European Commission and are her political representatives in the Member State to which they are posted.

For More Information

European Commission's Representation in Spain

Commission's Regional Office in Barcelona