Brussels, 24 July 2024
Today, the European Commission has appointed Koen Van de Casteele as Director ‘State aid: General Scrutiny and Enforcement’ at the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP). This Commission department works to ensure that all companies compete equally and fairly on their merits within the single market, to the benefit of consumers, businesses and the European economy as a whole. The date of effect will be determined later.
With over 25 years of prominent professional experience in law, economic analysis, and competition policy, particularly in leading competition enforcement in State aid cases, Van de Casteele has a deep understanding of market dynamics and EU regulatory frameworks. His expertise and managerial track record at the Commission include the adoption of the COVID-19 Temporary Framework and its various amendments, as well as the adoption of the Temporary Crisis Framework/Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework. This makes him well-suited to provide strategic direction for the Directorate, including contributing to the development of policy and legislative proposals.
Koen Van de Casteele, a Belgian national, currently serves as Head of the ‘State Aid Policy and Case Support’ Unit in DG COMP. Previously, he worked, among others, in the ‘Strategic Support and Decision Scrutiny’ Unit within the same Directorate-General, where he was responsible for policy projects and coordinated the State aid enlargement task force.
Before joining the Commission, he was a senior associate at a Belgian law firm.
Source – EU Commission