Themistocleous to head EC office

The European Commission appointed Themis Themistocleous as new Head of the Representation in Cyprus together with similar appointments in other six new member states. A letter offering the position of Head of Representation has been sent to the candidates selected.

These appointments will be finalised after the acceptance of the offer by the candidates and the completion of the required medical check-up.

Four among the new Heads are women. These appointments are the result of a long process where nearly seventy candidates have been interviewed out of hundreds of applicants for the posts in the ten new Member States.

The appointments come at a very important time, just after the adoption by the Commission of the Communication action plan on 20 July, proposed by Vice President Margot Wallstrem. Representations are given a key role in implementing the Plan.

Representations are the official voice of the European Commission in the Member States. They are responsible for explaining policies of the European Union and making Europe more understandable to people.

They provide information about the EU through recognised outlets such as public libraries, business advice centres and education services.

Their responsibilities also include providing information to the Commission on orientations and trends of public opinion in the country concerned.

The new Head of Representation in Nicosia, Cyprus, is Themis Themistocleous. Themistocleous is presently the Director of the Cyprus News Agency and has a background both in television and as a teacher.

Themistocleous has a degree in Classics and English from the University of Athens and a MA in journalism from Stanford University, California, USA.