The Member States' Ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) confirmed their agreement on Wednesday 20 May over the appointment of Richard Sonnenschein as Acting Administrative Director of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Mr Sonnenschein's name was proposed by the Commission on 13 May. However, in a letter dated 20 March, the Commission indicated that it had selected Sari Haukka, a Finnish lawyer who had worked for more than 20 years within European institutions (see EUROPE 12458/26).
According to our information, the Council of the EU did not initiate this change. Despite being asked why they had proposed another person for the post, the European Commission had not provided us with an answer at the time of going to press.
Richard Sonnenschein is currently a Chief Adviser in the Commission's Department of Human Resources and Security (DG HR) and has been since 2016. He first worked as a lawyer at the European Commission between 1996 and 2001. After a few years in the German civil service, he returned to the Commission in 2003 where he became Head of Unit at DG HR in 2007.
His appointment will be formally confirmed by the EU Council following a written procedure. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)