On 19th December, the Board of CESI unanimously elected Klaus Heeger as the new Secretary General of CESI. He is the successor of Helmut Müllers, who has retired at the end of last year. “I appreciate the confidence the independent European trade unions have shown me“, said Heeger in an initial statement. “With powerful members and an established umbrella organisation in Brussels, we will continue to defend the interests of European employees in the future“, stated the newly-elected Secretary General.

Heeger is the son of a diplomat, was born in 1967 and grew up in Germany, Switzerland and in the former USSR. Alongside German, he speaks English, French, Russian, Estonian and Spanish. “I have lived abroad for most of my life. Therefore, I know what it means to be at home in Europe and to represent interests on a European level“, explains the new Secretary General, summarising his experience.

Between 1996 and 2002, Heeger was employed by CESI. This was followed by other occupational functions, among them in the European Parliament and as a private entrepreneur in Estonia. “He knows how the institutions in Brussels work and the effect of their decisions in practice. This knowledge will be useful for him as the new Secretary General”, says CESI President Peter Heesen, in appraisal of Heeger’s long experience. “With Klaus Heeger, an experienced European is taking on the management of the CESI Secretary General. The interests of the European employees are in good hands”, adds CESI President Fritz Neugebauer.

At the end of 2012, Heeger is to be confirmed by the CESI Congress in this function for another 4 years.