Finns land important EU jobs
Finnish civil servants did very well early this week when the new members of the European Commission and the EU’s new President chose their closest aides.
When the new Commission is confirmed by the European Parliament, Marjut Hannonen, who has worked in the Commission’s trade policy department, and who is an expert in trade relations between the EU and the United States, will work in the cabinet of the Commissioner for Trade, Belgium’s Karel De Gucht.
The Latvian Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs chose Antti Karttunen, a seasoned employee of the Commission, to his cabinet. Karhunen will start working as a senior member in the cabinet, although his job description has not been finalised.
The new EU President Herman Van Rompuy also chose a Finn, Timo Ranta, for his cabinet of about 20 members.
Ranta will assist Van Rompuy, a Belgian, in the secretariat of the council, where he has worked with civilian crisis management. Ranta’s new tasks include the EU’s external relations, in a broad sense.
Until 2007, only the Finnish members of the Commission had Finns in their cabinets.
Serving as information officer to Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard will be Maria Kokkonen, who has worked for six months as the press secretary at the Commission’s Paris office.
Kokkonen started her work at the EU in 1996, and says that she is confident that she will work smoothly with the Danish Commissioner.
Anna Itkonen will soon be leaving her post as press aide to Commissioner Olli Rehn, to join the five-member information team of Catherine Ashton, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
Information officers are not formally members of the commissioners’ cabinets, but they do follow EU decision-making from a good vantage point.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 3.2.2010 - TODAY |
 Finns land important EU jobs |
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