On November 9, 2022, the European Commission has decided to appoint Richard Szostak as Director for ‘Secretariat General – Western European Partners’.
This service is responsible for the coordination of the Commission policy on the relations with the Western European partners. The date of appointment will be determined at a later stage. Richard Szostak, a Polish and British national, will draw on his in-depth knowledge of the Commission policies and strategies acquired during his work in multiple Directorates-General and Services of the Commission, the Secretariat-General of the Council as well as for the Polish Permanent Representation to the EU. He has proven his capacity to lead crosscutting Commission teams producing high-quality policy proposals in a variety of areas. He is currently Acting Director in the ‘Secretariat General – Western European Partners’ Directorate where he is responsible for the coordination of relations with Western European states, including the implementation of the EU’s agreements with the UK, relations with Switzerland, with the countries of the European Economic Area, as well as the coordination of negotiations with Andorra, Monaco and San Marino. Prior to joining the Secretariat General, Richard Szostak was diplomatic adviser and then deputy Head of Cabinet to President Juncker, where he provided advice on foreign policy and defence policy related issues, on the preparation of G20 Summits, and notably on the Brexit negotiations, as well as on EU-Swiss relations.