Brussels, 27 March 2024,
The European Commission has appointed Henrike Trautmann as Principal Adviser ‘for Reconstruction in Gaza’ at the Directorate-General for the European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the Commission. DG NEAR is responsible for the political framework and implementation of financial and technical assistance in Europe’s eastern and southern neighbourhood, supporting economic development, reforms and democratic consolidation, strengthening the prosperity, stability and security around Europe. The effective date is to be determined at a later stage.
Ms Trautmann, a German national, has extensive professional experience of more than 25 years in the field of external relations, development and international cooperation, as well as humanitarian aid and crisis management within the Commission. Her career is marked by a focus on recovery and post-conflict development contexts, especially in Africa and the Middle East. She led the work on reframing the EU’s relationship with the Southern Neighbourhood as of 2021 and the development of comprehensive partnerships of the EU with Tunisia and Egypt. Following the attacks of Hamas on Israel in October 2023, she was responsible for conceptualising and delivering the review of EU funding to Palestine. Her extensive experience with Maghreb and Mashrek countries as well as stakeholders in the political, humanitarian and development sphere of the Middle East will be key in developing a coordinated EU strategy for the rebuilding of Gaza.
Until December 2023 Henrike Trautmann served as Director for the ‘Southern Neighbourhood and Türkiye´ at DG NEAR, where she was previously Head of Unit for ‘Regional Cooperation Neighbourhood South’. Earlier in her career she worked as Head of Unit in different policy development and strategic coordination units in the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), and also served as Policy Assistant to the Director-General of DG ECHO. Henrike Trautmann was recruited by the Commission in 1994 and started her career at the Representation of the European Commission in Germany, followed by stints in the Directorates-General for Communication (DG COMM) and External Relations (DG RELEX), where she worked on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, in particular setting up civilian police missions in the Balkans and the Middle East.
Source – EU Commission