The European Commission appointed Spanish lawyer Alberto de Gregorio Merino as Director-General of its Legal Service. Petr Klement, a Czech national, will be the new head of OLAF, the European anti-fraud office. The date of both appointments, announced on Tuesday, 4 November, is to be determined later, the Commission said.

With nearly 25 years of experience in the EU institutions, Mr de Gregorio Merino is a safe pair of hands. He brings outstanding expertise in EU law, having provided legal advice across a wide range of policies. These include, among others, the economic and monetary union, the internal market, external relations, rule of law, and the MFF.

Mr de Gregorio Merino has a deep understanding of the Union’s legal framework and decision-making processes. He has built the expertise through years of advising the Commission and the Council on complex legal and policy issues. He has played a leading role in major legal developments in recent years, notably in times of crisis.

This includes the creation of mechanisms to address the financial and debt crisis, such as the Banking Union and the European Stability Mechanism, his work on Brexit-related matters, and on instruments supporting Ukraine. The Spanish law professor also managed key files such as Next Generation EU, the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation, the Multiannual Financial Framework, and the system of Own Resources.

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First of three Slavic contenders

Czech national Petr Klement will become the new Director-General of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Commission also said. He currently serves as Deputy to the European Chief Prosecutor at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). His appointment marks the first time in history that a representative from the Czech Republic will lead the EU’s key anti-corruption body.

Three contenders were in the running to the agency that has the power to ruin Brussels careers. They made their pitches in the European Parliament Monday. Mr Klement said OLAF should not be a mere advisory body. It must push for binding recommendations and work smoothly with its rival crime-busting body, EPPO. He came first in a secret ballot of MEPs.

Slovak ex-Eurojust president Ladislav Hamran pitched OLAF as an “intelligence service” capable of spotting risks early. Polish EEAS candidate Joanna Krzeminska-Vamvaka ran on a platform stressing the protection of the EU budget and improved public communication.