20/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen appointed as new Council Secretary-General. On Thursday 19 March, the European Summit unanimously endorsed the proposal of European Council president Donald Tusk to appoint Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen of Denmark to take over from Uwe Corsepius of Germany as Secretary-General of the Council. The EU heads of state urged the Council to announce the appointment officially as soon as possible, in line with Article 240 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. Corsepius has been in the job since June 2011, but announced on 13 March that he will be returning to Germany at the end of his second term of office (30 June 2015). Tranholm-Mikkelsen is 52 and is expected to take office on 1 July 2015. He has been Denmark's permanent representative to the EU since 2010. (CG)