The European Economic and Social Committee has just elected Swedish member Staffan Nilsson as president of the consultative body for a two-and-a-half year term.

The EESC leadership will include vice-president Anna Maria Darmanin, a Maltese member now in charge of communication, and vice-president Jacek Krawczyk, a Polish national responsible for the Committee’s budget issues.

The EESC, a consultative body of the European Union, renews its membership at the inaugural session being held until today. Of the 344 EESC members, 102 are sitting on the committee for the first time.

In addition to running a farm in rural Sweden, president Staffan Nilsson was a long-time member of the board of the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF) and is a member of the board of the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC), fighting poverty by helping people help themselves.

With experience in the fields of human resources and communication with various Maltese companies, vice-president Anna Maria Darmanin also lectures at her one-time alma mater, the University of Malta.

Ms Darmanin is a graduate of the University of Malta, where she earned a BA Hons degree in Communication Studies and Psychology and obtained a Master of Arts in Human Resource Development.

She began her professional career in 1994 and has held various positions, including that of director at the Employment and Training Corporation (2005 - 2008). Since 2001 she has also held the position of council member and freelance trainer at the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions and the Union Haddiema Maghqudin.

In 2004 she became a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, in 2006 vice-president of the section for the Single Market, Consumption and Production, and in 2008 vice-president of the Employees’ Group.

For his part, vice-president Jacek Krawczyk, in charge of the EESC budget, has extensive hands-on business management skills acquired during his finance and business career at, among others, the European Cooperation Bank and at the Polish Development Bank. As a former professional pilot he is also a distinguished aviation expert.

Set up in 1957 by the Treaties of Rome, the EESC is made up of representatives of organisations of employers, of the employed, and of other parties representative of civil society, notably in socio-economic, civic, professional and cultural areas, from the 27 EU states. Its main task is to advise the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council, primarily by issuing expert opinions on legislative proposals and on EU policies in a wide range of areas.

EESC members are appointed by the Council, in accordance with proposals made by each member state, for a five-year term. They do not receive a salary for their advisory work in Brussels. The CMTU congratulated Ms Darmanin on her appointment.