EUROPEAN UNION Bruxelles, 29 October 2010 A 216/10

High Representative Catherine Ashton completes the EAS top management team

Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the , has today announced the appointment of two Deputy Secretary Generals for the External Action Service (EAS) - completing her top management team. She has appointed Helga Schmid as the Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs and Maciej Popowski as the Deputy Secretary General for Inter-institutional Affairs.

"I am very pleased that Helga and Maciej have agreed to take these two key positions. Their experience and expertise will help us to build the External Action Service that Europe can be proud of," said Catherine Ashton.

Helga Schmid has over 20 years of experience in the world of diplomacy. She has been the Political Adviser to two German Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Head of the Foreign Minister's office, before relocating to to become the Director of the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit of the High Representative in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, a post she has held successfully for the last five years.

Maciej Popowski started his career in the Polish Diplomatic Service almost 20 years ago and took part in the accession negotiations of Poland with the European Union. He was deputy head of Poland's representation to the EU and after the 2004 EU enlargement the first Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU's Political and Security Committee for over five years. He then joined the European Commission as the director in DG Development before becoming Head of the Cabinet of the President Jerzy Buzek.

Catherine Ashton announced the appointment of Helga Schmid and Maciej Popowski only days after she appointed Pierre Vimont as the Executive Secretary General and David O'Sullivan as the Chief Operating Officer for the future External Action Service. She made the announcements after the Council endorsed the complete legal base for the EAS (adoption of the EAS Decision on 26 July and the amendments to the Staff and Financial Regulation on 25 October). The EAS will start operating by the end of this year. ______Attached: - CV of Helga Schmid and CV of Maciej Popowski PRESS

FOR FURTHER DETAILS: Maja Kocijancic +32 498 984 425 - +32 2 298 65 70 - [email protected] Darren Ennis +32 498 963 293 - +32 2 296 32 93 - [email protected] [email protected] www.eeas.europa.eu EN

HELGA MARIA SCHMID Deputy Secretary General for the External Action Service (EAS)

Born December 8, 1960 Education ¾ MA in English and Romance languages, literature, history and politics (1980 - 1987) from Munich University (Ludwig Maximilians Universität) and Sorbonne, Paris.

Career ¾ Diplomatic Academy, international and European law, economics, international relations, 1988 - 1990 ¾ Assistant Private Secretary to the Minister for European Affairs, 1990 - 1991 ¾ Press and Public Affairs officer, German Embassy, Washington, 1991 - 1994 ¾ Political Adviser to Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, 1994 - 1998 ¾ Political Adviser to Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, 1998 - 2000 ¾ Deputy Head of the Political Staff of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin and Deputy Head of the Minister's Office, 2000 - 2003 ¾ Head of the Political Staff of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin and Head of the Minister's Office, 2003 - 2005 ¾ Director of the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit (Policy Unit) of the High Representative for the CFSP in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, Brussels, 2006 - 2010

Languages English, French

3 EN

Maciej Popowski Deputy Secretary General for the External Action Service (EAS)

Born 25 November, 1964

Education

¾ 29 June 1988 - MA degree in German and and literature obtained at the University of Wroclaw ¾ October 1989 - February 1990 - DAAD scholarship at German Faculty of the University of Siegen, Germany ¾ March-June 1991 - Postgraduate Foreign Service Training at the Polish Institute for International Affairs in Warsaw ¾ December 1991 – May 1992 - Training course at the Aus-und Fortbildungsstätte des Auswärtigen Amtes in Bonn-Ippendorf

Career

¾ 2009 - 2010 - Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek (seconded from the European Commission in the interest of the service). ¾ 2008 - 2009 - Director, DG Development, European Commission. Main responsibilities: Policy Coherence for Development, aid effectiveness, aid financing, relations with other donors, public communication.

¾ 2003 - 2008 - Ambassador, Representative of Poland to the Political and Security Committee of the EU, Deputy Head of Mission. ¾ 2001- 2003 - Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Head of the Mission Responsibilities: accession negotiations (focal point for the European Commission and the Permanent Representations of Member States), European Convention and Intergovernmental Conference 2004 (contact point), 4 EN implementation of the Association Agreement (secretary of the Association Council), preparation of the transition of the mission into a permanent representation, matters pertaining to day-to-day management of the mission (including personnel and administration). ¾ 2000 – 2001 – Director of the Department of the European Union, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warsaw. Main responsibilities: relations with the EU Member States and European institutions, accession negotiations, Intergovernmental Conference 2000, Common Foreign and Security Policy. ¾ 1999 – 2000 – Deputy Director of the Department of the European Union, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warsaw ¾ 1993 – 1999 – assignment to the Mission of the Republic of Poland to the European Communities in Brussels: o 1998 – 1999 – Counsellor o 1995 – 1998 – First Secretary o 1993 – 1995 – Second Secretary ¾ 1992 - 1993 – desk officer for the Benelux countries in the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw ¾ 1992 –1992 – trainee at the Polish Embassy in The Hague ¾ 1991 - entry into the Polish diplomatic service ¾ 1988- 1991 – assistant teacher at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Wroclaw; main teaching subject: German contemporary literature

Languages

English, German, Dutch, French Russian

5 EN