New Director-General for health and consumers for DG Sanco

On 31 March 2010 the College of Commissioners confirmed the appointment of Robert Madelin, the Director-General for health and consumers, as Director-General for information society and media. Mr. Madelin will replace Fabio Colasanti, the current Director-General for information society and media, who will retire on 1 April 2010.

Robert Madelin`s successor was also confirmed by the College of Commissioners, at their weekly meeting in Brussels. Paola Testori Coggi, who joined DG SANCO in 2007 as Deputy Director-General, will now take on the position of Director-General. 1 April 2010 will be the official starting date of Ms. Testori-Coggi.

Mr. Madelin started working at the Commission in 1993 as a member of the cabinet of former Commissioner Leon Brittan. In 2004 he became director-general for DG SANCO. Under Commission rules, directors-general must change jobs every five to seven years.

In his position, Mr. Madelin has had a high profile and was the creator of several initiatives that EPHA and EPHA members participated in, such as the EU Platform for Action on Nutrition, Physical activity and Health and the Alcohol and Health Forum.

Ms. Testori-Coggi has an educational background in biological sciences and started working at the Commission in 1982 on pollution policy. She has worked under former Commissioner Filippo Pandolfi from DG Research, dealing with R&D programmes in the life sciences and the environment. Before joining Health and Consumer Protection DG in 1999, she worked in the office of former Commissioner Emma Bonino, where she helped manage the BSE and dioxin crises, and contributed to a new policy on consumer health and food safety following the European Parliament’s recommendations on BSE. Ms. Testori-Coggi was previously the Director in charge of the safety of the food chain (SANCO.E), and worked on food safety legislation. This included issues, such as BSE, GMOs, hormones, additives and labelling, as well as managing food and feed safety crises.

The European Public Health Alliance congratulates Mr. Robert Madelin on his new position of Director-General for information society and media and wishes him the best of luck in his new position. Mr. Madelin demonstrated a bold and creative leadership during his time in health and consumer affairs, with a new model of dialogue in the form of constructive platforms such as EU Platform for Action on Nutrition, Physical activity and Health and the Alcohol and Health Forum.

Mr. Madelin’s commitment to public health and citizens` interests in the EU was unwavering, and we are certain that he will bring a citizen-centred perspective to DG INFSO and hope he will continue to remain a health champion in his new role.

We welcome the appointment of Ms. Paola Testori-Coggi as Director-General for health and consumers, and wish Ms. Testori Coggi much success in her role. Ms. Testori-Coggi’s knowledge of issues at the centre of citizen’s concerns and the public interest, together with her extensive professional background at the Commission will be invaluable for this position.

EPHA Secretary General Monika Kosinska said, "We are looking forward to working more closely with Ms. Testori Coggi, and wish Mr. Madelin all the best in his new position. We are certain that the next period, under Ms. Testori Coggi, will continue to build on the progress achieved so far and will support the achievement of a healthy future for Europe".

For Futher Information

Article in April Health and Consumer Voice Newsletter