Belgian national Kurt Vandenberghe has been appointed head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA), the administration charged with leading international climate negotiations for the EU and managing the EU’s Green Deal, the Commission announced on Wednesday.
    Vandenberghe has spent 26 years in the Commission after joining from the private sector. The Commission said that Vandenberghe “played a central role in the implementation of the European Green Deal.”
    Currently serving as an advisor to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the Green Deal, Vandenberghe was previously a member of the cabinet of the Commission for Research and Belgian Minister Phillipe Bisquin.
    He went on to be chief of staff for Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik. He has held numerous positions at the commission, notably leading DG Research and Innovation from 2013.
    The European functionary will take office on 16 January, succeeding Italian Raffaele Mauro Petriccione, who died last August.