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Wigand becomes the interim EU Commission representative in Vienna

by AI | 22.Aug 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The Austrian and former EU Commission spokesman Christian Wigand will become deputy head of the representation on September 1st and was also appointed acting head at the same time.

Archive photo - The EU Commission's representation in Vienna will have Christian Wigand as its new head of operations.

Brussels – The Austrian and current EU Commission spokesman Christian Wigand will take over the acting head of the representation of the European Commission in Vienna on September 1. Wigand announced this to the APA on Thursday. When the position will be permanently filled is currently not certain. The current head Wolfgang Bogensberger is retiring.

Wigand is currently the spokesman for the European Commission in Brussels. He started his work for the EU Commission at the end of 2014 under President Jean-Claude Juncker. At that time, he was the spokesman with responsibilities for labor and social affairs, as well as justice and consumer protection. In President Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission, the Austrian was responsible for the areas of rule of law, justice, consumer protection, and equality.

Before his time in Brussels, Wigand was a spokesman and cabinet member for European and international relations of the Austrian Justice Ministers Wolfgang Brandstetter and Beatrix Karl (both ÖVP) in Vienna. The theology graduate originally comes from Graz and is a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna as well as a master’s degree in international relations.

The former representative of the Commission in Austria, Martin Selmayr, is now the EU Ambassador to the Holy See, the Order of Malta, and the Rome-based UN organizations. Selmayr had caused a stir last September when he spoke of “blood money” in connection with Austria’s dependence on Russian gas supplies in light of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Wolfgang Bogensberger had taken over the leadership temporarily in January. (22.08.2024)