Following up on her appointment during the last Board Meeting in December, Ms Cecilia Wikström has taken up the position of Chair of Board of Governors in the beginning of the year. Ms Wikström, a former member of the Swedish Parliament (2002 – 2009), has been a long-term Member of the European Parliament (EP) (2009 – 2019) where she took on various roles, most recently the Chair of the European Parliament Petitions Committee. Ms Wikström succeeds Mr Guy Verhofstadt, former prime minister of Belgium and Member of the European Parliament since 2009.

A strong European network and background in EU politics

The recently elected chair of EIPA’s Board of Governors is enthusiastic about her new position: ‘I am pleased to being able to contribute to the future strategic development of the Institute and by doing so, furthering the development of the European public administration. EIPA has an important role to play in this regard, as it serves officials of the Member States as well as those of the EU institutions’. Having spent the last ten years as a member of the EP’s group Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), Ms Wikström brings with her an established European network and extensive knowledge of EU affairs.

First-hand experience in the field of education and training

In addition to her background in national and European politics, EIPA’s new chair has first- hand experience in the field of education and training. She has been a Board member of the Uppsala University (SE) for seven years, during which time she supported the transition from a traditional university to one focussed on modern education techniques and formats. ‘I truly believe in life-long learning,’ Ms Wikström commented. ‘Education is highly important, not only for young people, but also for those people who are already on the job. And that is where EIPA comes in, as a long- standing provider of training to civil servants from all over Europe. In order to serve the European Public Administration even better, we will further develop and broaden the Institute’s educational portfolio so as to offer those activities and formats that are best suited to the needs of our stakeholders, today and in the future.’

Click here for more information about our board and governors.