De Europese Commissie benoemt hoofd van vertegenwoordiging in Vilnius (en)

Ms. Natalija Kazlauskiene will take office as the new Head of Representation in Vilnius on 1 September 2010.

Ms. Kazlauskiene, currently a Director at the Regional Policy Directorate-General, joined the Commission in 2005. She has contributed to the development of EU cohesion policy and its coordination with other EU initiatives. She has played an active part in the negotiations of the national strategies and operational programmes for the 2007-2013 financial perspective.

Ms. Kazlauskiene also has considerable experience in the Lithuanian public administration: she was Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Finance and Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania. She served as Deputy Regional Representative for Europe at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Ms. Kazlauskiene holds a PhD in economics and social sciences.

Ms. Kazlauskiene’s appointment sends a strong signal about the importance the Commission holds in keeping high-level contacts with the Lithuanian government and all stakeholders in the country. With her extensive knowledge of European policies and her focus on cohesion - a policy area of particular importance for Lithuania - Ms. Kazlauskiene is very well placed to head the Vilnius Representation.

Her broad international experience will help the Representation play a key role in communicating with Lithuanian citizens, civil society and media, as well as strengthening relations between the Commission and national or regional authorities.

Background:

The Commission has Representations in all EU Member States. They represent the Commission in the Member State, inform the media and public about its policies and report to the Commission on significant developments in the country.

Ms. Kazlauskiene is one of the seven Heads of Representations who were appointed today by the Commission. For an overview of the appointment procedure and a list of all seven names, see IP/10/929.