The European Commission has appointed Claus Sørensen, currently director-general for communications, as director-general of the humanitarian aid department (ECHO). Sørensen, who is Danish, will replace Peter Zangl when he retires as head of ECHO on 1 July. 

Before joining the communications department, Sørensen was head of the private office of Mariann Fischer Boel, the European commissioner for agriculture in 2004-09. In 2003-04, he was a director in the Commission’s environment department and before that, in 1999-2003, he was head of the private office of Poul Nielsen, the then commissioner for development and ECHO.

Sørensen will be replaced temporarily as director-general for communications by the current deputy director-general, Jean-Pierre Vandersteen, a Belgian.

Internal market

The Commission has also appointed Pierre Delsaux as deputy director-general at the internal market department. Delsaux, a Belgian, is currently a director in the department responsible for capital and companies.

The Commission has also decided to extend the terms of two heads of its representations in member states. Willy Hélin, the head of the representation to Belgium, will stay on until the end of February 2012 even though he turned 65, the usual retirement age, in January.

Andrea Elscheková-Matisová will remain as head of the Commission’s office in Slovakia until the end of December this year.