Nomination of new Secretary-General of the Council

Source: European Council i, published on Thursday, March 19 2015.

On 19 March 2015, heads of state and government endorsed the proposal of President Tusk to nominate Mr Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen as the next Secretary-General of the Council, and invited the Council to proceed as soon as possible with the formal appointment in accordance with Article 240 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

Mr Tranholm-Mikkelsen is currently the Danish Permanent Representative to the European Union, a post he has held since 2010.

Mr Tranholm-Mikkelsen is expected to take up office on 1 July 2015. He takes over from the current Secretary-General, Uwe Corsepius, who will be leaving the Council to take up a new post in Berlin.

Role of the Secretary-General

The Council of the European Union is assisted by a General Secretariat, under the responsibility of a Secretary-General appointed by the Council. The General Secretariat is engaged in organising, coordinating and ensuring the coherence of the Council's work. It assists the Presidency of the Council in seeking solutions.

The General Secretariat of the Council, under the authority of its Secretary-General, also assists the European Council and its President. The Secretary-General of the Council attends the meetings of the European Council and takes all the measures necessary for the organisation of the proceedings.

CV of Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen

Current position: Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the European Union

Born: 30 October 1962

Nationality: Danish

Civil status: married to Birgitte Karnøe Frederiksen, two children

Career

2010

Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the EU

2007

Ambassador to China, also accredited to Mongolia and DPRK

2003

Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU

2001

Chief Adviser (EU Policy), Prime Minister's Office

2001

Head of Department (General EU Policy), Danish MFA

1998

Senior Adviser (EU Policy), Prime Minister's Office

1995

Secretary of Embassy, Danish Permanent Representation to the EU

1992

Head of Section, Danish MFA

Education

1992

Cand. Scient. Pol., University of Aarhus

1990

MSc (International Relations), London School of Economics

Languages

English, German, French. Some Spanish, Dutch and Chinese.

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