Brussels, 05/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 4 April the European Commission appointed Mr Prosper De Winne as appointed Deputy Director-General for Agriculture. His main duties will be to define the strategies, concepts and policies linked to the fields covered by the three Directorates for which he is responsible: Resource management, Audit of agricultural expenditure and Relations with other institutions, communication and documentation. He will also be responsible for representing DG Agriculture in its relations with the other directorates-general, the other European institutions and non-governmental organisations linked to agriculture.
Since 2006 Mr De Winne, 54 years old has occupied the position of acting Deputy Director-General responsible for the Directorates Resource management, Audit of agricultural expenditure and Relations with other institutions, communication and documentation with the emphasis on the audit of agricultural expenditure and relations with other European institutions. From 2002 to 2006 he was Director of Resource management in the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, responsible for managing the common agriculture policy budget, the Agriculture DG's financial service, personnel administration and the computer department. From 1999 to 2001 he was Head of the Unit 'Beef and Veal, Pigmeat, Sheepmeat and Poultrymeat'. This period was marked by three major events for which he was in charge: the 1999 dioxins crisis, the BSE and foot-and-mouth crises in 2000 and 2001 and the reform of the sheepmeat CMO.