The European Commission has decided today to appoint Christian Roques as Deputy Director-General for its Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security (DG HR). The Human Resources and Security department oversees recruitment policy, training and career management, social policies and working conditions for Commission staff. It is responsible for keeping buildings and employees safe, and online security. The decision will take effect on February 16, 2023.
Christian Roques, a French national, brings with him a profound knowledge of a wide range of human resources matters in the European Commission along with his advanced communication and negotiations skills acquired through various complex stakeholder engagements and outreach efforts. He will continue to benefit from the robust and trusted relationships he has built with a plethora of actors in the administration realm and from his proven capacity to steer and coordinate large-scale projects, processes, and operations with a tangible impact on the workforce of the Commission.
Since 2019, he has been Director in DG HR, where he is now in charge of finance, legal and partnerships, after previously being responsible for working conditions, well-being and the Medical Services. He notably assumed a leading role in managing the principal human resources, medical and business continuity aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and was also instrumental in the design of the Commission’s new HR Strategy. He also played a central role in developing the Greening Strategy of the European Commission in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal.
Earlier in his career, he headed a number of units in DG HR. He also worked for several years in the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) as acting Head of Unit, and before as Case manager and Case Handler. He joined the Commission in 1997 in the European Statistical Office, after having worked in private law firms.