Pascale Alix-Laborde, Territorial Councillor for Environment, Collectivity of Saint-Martin

Pascale ALIX LABORDE est née à DAKAR (Sénégal), le 26 Janvier 1962. 
Diplômée en droit à BORDEAUX et BAYONNE, elle s’installe en 1989 aux Antilles. 
Elle débute une carrière de Clerc de notaire, spécialisée en défiscalisation, à SAINT-MARTIN et tombe définitivement sous le charme de ce territoire.
Après 26 ans en office notarial, elle devient gérante d’un cabinet de gestion de biens immobiliers.
En 2017, elle est élue conseillère territoriale. Elle a choisi de se consacrer au traitement des problématiques environnementale et est égalemente Présidente de la Caisse des Œuvres Scolaires.
Depuis l’ouragan IRMA en 2017, l’île de Saint-Martin particulièrement meurtrie est en reconstruction. Élue de terrain, Pascale ALIX LABORDE a à cœur de réconcilier les politiques avec les citoyens.

Milena Angelova, Vice-President in charge of Budget

Dr Milena Angelova has been Secretary-General of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) since 2002. She is Vice-President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in charge of Budget for the mandate 2018 – 2020. She has been a Member of the EESC since 2007, Employers’ Group Vice-President since 2010 and Member of the Budget Group since 2013. She has been CEEP Executive Vice-President since 2011. 

As an EESC member, she is actively involved in representing the interests of the business community regarding important topics such as SME policies, corporate governance, the capital markets union, promoting services of general interest, cutting red tape, improving the business climate, combating the grey economy, the future of work, skills mismatches, etc. 

Dr Angelova has been a member of the Bulgarian ESC since 2006 and is well known as an active participant in decision–making processes in Bulgaria, within areas concerning business climate improvement. She has profound expertise in the field of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, better legislation, SMEs and entrepreneurship promotion, European funds management, skills mismatches and qualified labour shortage.

Before joining the BICA, Dr Angelova had ten years of excellent professional experience in business, such as Italcementi Group, and tourism. She is senior research fellow at the Institute of Economics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and was a lecturer in the Economic University in Varna. She is the author of more than 45 scientific publications in the area of marketing and of corporate governance.
 

Stéphane Bijoux, Member of the European Parliament

Stéphane Bijoux is a Member of the European Parliament since July 2019. 

He comes from La Réunion, a French Island in the Indian Ocean. 

In the European Parliament, he is part of the Renew Europe Group (French Delegation Renaissance) and he is a member of the REGI, DEVE and EMPL committees. 

He chairs the delegation to the CARIFORUM-EU Parliamentary Committee and participates in the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. 

In addition to his work in the committees and delegations, he is the co-chair of the Island and Overseas Entities working group – which in turn is part of the Parliament’s Intergroup “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development”. 

Before joining the European Parliament, Stéphane Bijoux was the Editorial Director for French Overseas territories at France Télévisions. 


 

Dr Pedro Calado, Vice-President of the Regional Government of Madeira

Pedro Miguel Amaro de Bettencourt Calado is 49 years old and since October 20, 2017, the Vice-President of the Regional Government of Madeira. 
He is post graduated in Management by Nova SBE – Nova School of Business & Economics, degree in Statistics and Information Management by Nova SBE – Nova School of Business & Economics, and bachelor in Business Management by School of Management and Technology | Polytechnic Institute of Santarém.
Apart of several experiences in the private sector as well as in the leadership of several sports organizations, Pedro Bettencourt Calado was the Vice-president of Funchal Municipality in 2012 and 2013, and Councilor with the financial responsibility between 2005 and 2012, where he accumulated the presidency and vice-presidency of several municipal companies. 

Clara de la Torre, Deputy Director-General in the Directorate-General for Climate Action

Since 1 September 2019, Clara de la Torre is appointed Deputy Director-General in the Directorate-General for Climate Action.
Until September 2019, she was Director for 'Transport' in the Directorate-General for Research & Innovation at the European Commission. 
Previously, starting in 2014, she was responsible for 'Key Enabling Technologies', following a 3-years' appointment as Director in the field of 'Research and Innovation.'  
In her first post as a Director, from 2008 to 2010, she was in charge of 'Inter-institutional and legal matters related to the Framework Programme' at the European Commission.
After a couple of years in private sector, her professional career was focussing on the research policies, which became the springboard to working opportunities at the European Commission in 1987.  
In the late 90's, she was dealing with 'National Research Policies & Intergovernmental Cooperation.' She was also working at the EU Joint Research Centre both in Brussels and in Seville, where she was Advisor to the Director of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies.  
Clara de la Torre has a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid.
 

Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Natural Capital, DG Environment, European Commission

Humberto Delgado Rosa is the Director for Natural Capital, DG Environment, European Commission. Previously he was Director for Mainstreaming Adaptation and Low Carbon Technology in DG Climate Action. He is experienced in European and international environmental policy, particularly in biodiversity and climate change issues. He served as Secretary of State for the Environment of the Portuguese Government from March 2005 to June 2011. Between 1995 and 2002 he was an advisor for environmental matters to the Prime-Minister of Portugal. He holds a PhD in Evolutionary Biology. H. Delgado Rosa was born in Lisbon in 1960.

Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General (DG) for the environment 

Joanna DRAKE has been the Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General (DG) for the environment since March 2016. In this role, she is in charge of the coordination of Resource-efficiency policies and other legal instruments. She also chairs a cross-cutting Task Force spear-heading strategic positions for the DG on (inter-alia) the post-2020 Commission financial framework negotiations, Brexit co-ordination, the urban agenda and the future-proofing of the EU's environmental acquis. By training, Joanna is a doctor of laws from the University of Malta, where she also lectured full time in the Department of European and Comparative Law. She acquired a post-graduate degree in Advanced European Legal Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. She held various legal and management posts in the private and public sector before joining the European Commission as head of the European Commission Representation in Malta in 2005. She also had a key role in the Malta-EU accession negotiations as member of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee. Between 2010 and 2015 she was director for SME's and Entrepreneurship in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. During her tenure in DG GROW she also led the Commission's Task Force on The Collaborative Economy, New Business Models And SME's.

Mihail Dumitru, Deputy Director General (DDG) Directorate general Agriculture and Rural development

Romanian nationality. Agriculture economist specialised in agrifood economics and rural development. Postgraduate studies in France and Greece at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies. PhD in economics. 

After graduation of Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania, he worked three years in a large state owned farm in Prahova county, South Romania. After the farm experience moved into economic research carrying research studies in agricultural economics and rural economics at the Institute of Agricultural Economics Bucharest a constituent institute of Romanian Academy where he was head of a research department. In 1995 joined the Delegation of the European Commission in Bucharest where he followed the whole process of Romania's accession to the EU being in charge with agriculture and other related sectors. In the last years prior to accession, he headed the section of the Delegation in charge of Agriculture and Internal market. In 2006, he joined DG AGRI where he was in charge of negotiation of the first rural development programme (2007-2013) of Romania co-financed by EAFRD.   

Minister of Agriculture and Rural development of Romania in 2010 he re-joined the European Commission in early 2011 where he took over a directorate in charge of Rural development programmes. In February 2014, he became Deputy Director General responsible for rural development and research. Since January 2017, he is DDG responsible for CAP direct support, rural development and sustainability.
 

Aridane González, President of the Committee of Experts on Climate change, Circular and Blue Economy, Canary Islands Government

I studied Marine Sciences at the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), where I also obtained my Master and PhD degree in Oceanography. During 5 years, as a postdoctoral scientist in France (CNRS and Université de Bretagne Occidentale), I could investigate from high mountain lakes to the Arctic Ocean improving my expertise in experimental and field science but also in science diplomacy. 
My research interests are broadly centred on elucidating the biogeochemical cycles of metals in natural waters, the role of organic ligands on the trace metal chemistry and the development of new biomonitors to measure and control the metal contamination in environments. All these lines always centred in the context of climate change, contamination and sustainability.
In 2017, I returned to Canary Islands because of a Postdoctoral grant at the ULPGC and, in 2018, I was invited to be the president of the scientific committee of climate change, circular and blue economy. It was a great opportunity to introduce the scientific criteria to the policy makers as well as to improve the transfer of knowledge from the local research institutes and universities to the governments (local and regional). There, I started to carry out different local actions in order to develop the circular and blue economy at the islands thought the cooperation of the scientific community, public sectors, private companies and the society.
At the moment, I am lecturer in Marine Organic Chemistry at the ULPGC and I am involved in different European, national and regional scientific projects.

Bettina Hagedorn, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance

Bettina Hagedorn was born on December 26, 1955. She studied special needs education and was trained as a goldsmith. 
In 1983 she joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). From 1993 to 2003 she was deputy head of the SPD district branch in Ostholstein in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein. In 1997 she was elected mayor in her homeland municipality, which she held until 2003. 
Since 2002 till present she is Member of the German Bundestag and was till 2018 Member of the Bundestag’s Budget Committee and Auditing Committee. From 2005 till 2013 she was Member of the board of trustees, Federal Agency for Civic Education (until 2009; deputy member until 2013). From 2009 to 2017 she was acting as deputy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group’s working group on budget policy. From 2009 to 2018 she joined the SPD parliamentary group’s extended executive committee. From 2013 to 2017 she was chairing the Bundestag’s Auditing Committee and from 2017 till March 2018 she was deputy chair of the Bundestag’s Budget Committee. 
Since March 2018 she is appointed Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance, supporting the Minister in carrying out his government duties, particularly in budget and EU matters.
 

Laurent Georgeault, Research Fellow at Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Head of Sustainable Development, Mayotte Commerce and Industry Chamber 

Laurent Georgeault est Ingénieur de l'Université de Technologie de Troyes, docteur et chercheur associé de l'Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. 
Au sein de l'Institut de l'économie circulaire à Paris, il a coordonné en France le programme national de synergies interentreprises avec l'ADEME.
Actuellement dans l'Océan Indien, à la CCI de Mayotte, il travaille à la traduction opérationnelle des concepts sur ce territoire en transition.
Il accompagne aussi l'Union des Chambres de Commerce et d'Industrie de l'Océan Indien pour la mise en place d'un cluster transnational sur le sujet et l'Association des Villes et Collectivités de l'Océan Indien pour sensibiliser les élus des Seychelles, Comores, Madagascar, Maurice, La Réunion et Mayotte.

Son ouvrage « Economie circulaire, système économique et finitude des ressources » chez DeBoeck Supérieur co écrit avec Vincent Aurez a été nominé pour le prix du meilleur manuel d’économie par l’association française de sciences économique en 2017.

Dans son dernier ouvrage « Economie circulaire : passez à l'action » aux éditions législatives en 2020, il décrypte la loi du 10 février 2020 avec un panel d’experts de hauts niveau.
 

Luca Jahier, EESC President 

Luca Jahier has been the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since April 2018. He has been a member of the EESC since 2002, where he has worked extensively on the European Union’s social and cohesion policies, as well as on international issues. From 2008 to 2012, he was the President of ACLI's National Council (Associazioni Cristiane Lavoratori Italiani). He served as President of FOCSIV, the Italian Federation of non-Governmental Organization for the International Voluntary Service, from 1994 to 1999. Luca Jahier has previously worked with the CISV (Comunità Impegno Servizio Volontariato) and other Italian and European NGOs that are active in the field of international cooperation. He is a former journalist and an international political analyst, and he has numerous years of experience in social advancement development programmes in developing countries, mainly in Africa. 

Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, Member of the European Parliament

Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1961) is Professor of Constitutional Law (Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), BA in Political Science and Sociology by the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Master in Law and Diplomacy by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts) and holds the Jean Monnet Chair in European Law and Integration from the University of Bologna.

He is an expert in comparative law, federalism, fundamental rights and judicial systems. He has been a visiting professor at different European and American universities.

He has been a member of the Spanish Parliament and was appointed Spanish Minister of Justice between 2004 and 2007. He is a Member of European Parliament since 2009 and Chair of the Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (2009-2014 / 2019-2024).

He is author of 15 books in constitutional law, over a hundred articles, essays and scientific collaborations. His extensive production includes: The Parliamentary Opposition and the Constitutional Order (1988), Justice and its Problems in the Constitution (1966), Autonomous State and Differential Facts (1998), Lo stato autonomic spagnolo (1988); He is co-author of the Constitutional Law Manual (2000).

Alexandre K. Magnan, senior research fellow, Institute for sustainable development and international relations (IDDRI)

Alexandre K. Magnan (PhD, Habitlitation) is senior research fellow at the Institute for sustainable development and international relations (IDDRI, France). He is developing research on trajectories of vulnerability to climate and environmental change, as well as on adaptation pathways, especially in coastal areas and small islands especially in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Alexandre is also member of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Working Group 2 "Impact, Vulnerability, Adaptation", Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere, and Sixth Assessment Report).

 

Vincent Payet, Vice-President for digital development, the image industry and innovation, Regional Council of Reunion Island 

3ème vice-président du Conseil régional de La Réunion délégué au
développement numérique, aux industries de l’image et à
l’innovation territoriale.
Né le 29 mars 1981, à Saint-Denis – Ile de la Réunion
Un enfant


FONCTIONS ELECTIVES
• Membre de la commission Économie et Entreprises du conseil régional de la Réunion
• Membre de la commission Égalité des chances et Solidarité du conseil régional de la
Réunion


Président :
• Agence Régionale de Développement d’Innovation et d'investissement
Président Directeur Général :
• SPL Réunion des Musées Régionaux
2010-2015 Conseiller régional de la Réunion
• Président de la commission Développement économique du conseil régional de la Réunion
• Membre de la commission Affaires générales et financières du conseil régional de la
Réunion

Román Rodríguez Rodríguez, Vice-President and Minister of Finance, Budget and European Affairs, Government of the Canary Islands 

Román Rodríguez Rodríguez (La Aldea de San Nicolás, February 29, 1956) is the Vice-President of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Regional Minister of Finance, Budget and European Affairs. Between 1999 and 2003, he was also President of the Canary Islands.
Graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of La Laguna, he has a long and intense political career, which began at the end of the 70s, when he joined the left-wing nationalist movements, which believed the Canary Islands as fair, democratic and endowed with the highest levels of self-government.
Since then, he has held numerous and relevant institutional positions: President of the Government of the Canary Islands (1999-2003); Member of the Spanish National Parliament (2004-2007), Vice-President of the Cabildo (island government) of Gran Canaria (2007-2011), and Member of the Parliament of the Canary Islands since 2011, a status he currently maintains.
Rodríguez is also the President of Nueva Canarias Party, a nationalist progressive centre-wing group established in 2005.

Andriana Sukova, Deputy Director-General, DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Ms Andriana Sukova is an economist by education. In the past 20 years, she has worked with big national and international teams, being part of governmental and NGO national and international institutions. She started as an economist for an agricultural cooperative farm. Later she joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as a researcher before taking the position of Director of the Phare Programme Management Unit for several years. She then moved to the World Bank office in Sofia to work as an operations officer. In 2000, she was appointed a Deputy Minister for agriculture in charge of European integration and rural development, among other things.  Mrs. Sukova has also served as an adviser to the Minister of Finance and has been an Executive Director of one of the nationally recognized business NGO's. After Bulgaria's accession to the EU, Ms Sukova joined the Cabinet of Commissioner for Consumer Protection Meglena Kuneva. In August 2010, she was appointed Director in DG EMPL. She was in charge of ESF and FEAD policy and legislation preparation, negotiations on the regulatory framework for the 2014-2020 programming period as well as for the implementation of ESF/FEAD in a number of member states. In the last two years, Ms Sukova headed the Investment Directorate being responsible for the European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI), European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) and Financial Management under shared and direct management. As of March 2018, she was appointed Deputy Director-General of DG EMPL.

Ms Sukova has numerous post-graduate trainings in the UK, Italy, and Japan. In 2004 Ms Sukova has participated in the International Programme for Women Leaders in the USA, organized by the State Department. She is also a co-author of two books: "East-West European Agricultural Trade: The Impact of Association Agreements" and "Privatisation of Agriculture in New Market Economies: Lessons from Bulgaria" in 1994. 

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions 

Apostolos Tzitzikostas was born on September 2, 1978. He studied Government and International Relations at Georgetown University, in Washington DC. After graduating in 2000, he had his first working experience at the Office of the President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States Congress. In 2002 he obtained a Master's Degree on European Public Policy and Economics from the University College of London. Following his studies, he created his own company on the field of production, processing and standardization of dairy products, based on organic standards.
In 2007, he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament with the Nea Demokratia Party (EPP) in the First District of Thessaloniki. In the Regional Elections of November 2010 he was elected Vice-Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia and Head of the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki. On the Regional Elections of May 2014 he was elected Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia, and on the Regional Elections of May 2019 was re-elected Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia. On November 2019 he was elected President of the Association of Greek Regions.
Since 2015 he is a Member of the European Committee of the Regions. In July 2017, he was elected Head of the Greek Delegation and Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions. 

José Antonio Valbuena, Regional Minister for Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change
and Territorial Planning, Canary Islands Government 

 

Jose Antonio Valbuena Alonso has a degree in Technical Architecture from the University of La Laguna (Tenerife) with special honors and distinction and a degree in Industrial Organization Engineering from the University Politecnica de Cataluña with honors and distinctions as well. 

At the University of La Laguna he has taught in the department of projects and techniques in Engineering and Architecture. Between 1999 and 2007, he was elected member of the Local Council of La Laguna. In 2007 he joined the Cabildo of Tenerife and between 2011 and 2015, he was named Housing, Security and Local Cooperation Secretary. From 2015 to 2019, he was named Sustainability, Environment and Security Secretary. In 2019 he was also elected as Senator for Tenerife.

In June 2019, Mr. Valbuena was maned Ecological Transition, Fight Against Climate Change and Land Planning Secretary of the Government of the Canary Islands. Since then, he leads a team working in the development of the first Canarian Act to fight against Climate Change, the Circular Economy Act and the Regional Plan for Energetic Transition among others. 

Charlina Vitcheva, Director General of DG MARE, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission

Charlina Vitcheva was appointed Director General of DG MARE, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in June 2020.
Prior to this, she became Deputy Director General of the JRC in September 2016. She was acting DG for the JRC from the 1st November 2019 to the 30th April 2020. 
Previous to this, she was Director of Smart and Sustainable Growth and Southern Europe at DG Regional and Urban Policy, and also held a Director’s position on Inclusive Growth, Territorial and Urban Development and Northern Europe.
Before joining the Commission, Charlina spent 15 years in the Bulgarian public administration including at the Permanent Representation in Brussels, dealing mainly with agricultural and fisheries issues.
During this period, she was actively involved in the accession negotiations of Bulgaria and headed, between 2000 and 2004, the negotiations teams in the area of agriculture and rural development, food safety and fisheries.