Kurt Vandenberghe appointed new Director-General for DG CLIMA

On 30 November 2022, the European Commission announced its decision to appoint Kurt Vandenberghe to the function of Director-General in the Directorate-General for Climate action (DG CLIMA). This department leads the European Commission's efforts to fight climate change at EU and international level. The decision will take effect on 16 January 2023.

In his new position, Kurt Vandenberghe, a Belgian national, will draw on his extensive experience of 26 years in a range of EU policy areas at the European Commission. Mr Vandenberghe is currently European Green Deal Advisor in the Cabinet of President von der Leyen. Previously, he was Director in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), first responsible for climate action and resource efficiency and then of policy development and coordination. At an earlier stage of his career, he served as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potočnik, who was Commissioner for Environment and before Commissioner for Research and Innovation. He was also a Member of Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin. Before joining the Commission in 1996 as coordinator of the Commission's Intermodal Transport Task Force in the Directorate-General for Transport, Kurt Vandenberghe worked as a manager in a consulting firm in the private sector.