María Angeles Benítez Salas Explained

María Angeles Benítez Salas is a Spanish lawyer and high-ranking official of the European Commission. She has served as Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development from 2016 to 2021 and as acting Director-General in 2020. As such she was the top European civil servant in charge of European agricultural and rural development policy.^[1] In 2021 she became the head of the Representation of the European Commission in Spain.^[2]

Career

She earned her law degree at the University of Granada between 1975 and 1980 and attended the College of Europe where she earned a master's in European law between 1981 and 1982 (Johan Willem Beyen Promotion). She earned a further degree in European law at the Université libre de Bruxelles in 1983. She joined the European Commission as a trainee in 1983. She was deputy head of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers 2013–2014 and deputy head of the European Commission's think-tank, the European Political Strategy Centre, 2014–2016, before she was appointed the deputy director-general of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development in 2016.^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]} At the start of 2020 she succeeded Jerzy Bogdan Plewa as acting Director-General,^{[8] [9] [10]} and was succeeded in April 2020 by Wolfgang Burtscher.^{[11] [12]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Green Deal – The Implementers.
2. Web site: María Ángeles Benítez Salas, new Director of the European Commission Representation meets with the Spanish CDEs . 16 August 2021.
3. Web site: María Angeles Benítez Salas .
4. Web site: María Angeles Benítez Salas . .
5. Web site: María Angeles Benítez Salas . Ebsummit .
6. Web site: Commission européenne: nomination à la DG Agri. Agri .
7. Web site: El presidente reclama en Bruselas unos precios justos. Jaen.
8. Web site: Introduction of support measures for the fruit and vegetable sector in light of the COVID19 pandemic. Ecomercioagrario.
9. Web site: El reto de lograr una PAC efectiva para combatir la despoblación. Lanuevacronica.
10. Web site: Reglamento de Ejecución (UE) 2020/277 de la Comisión de 26 de febrero de 2020 por el que se modifica el Reglamento (CE) nº 1484/95 en lo que respecta a la fijación de los precios representativos en los sectores de la carne de aves de corral y de los huevos, así como para la ovoalbúmina.
11. https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/agriculture-and-rural-development_en Leadership and organisation
12. https://sciencebusiness.net/news/commission-promotes-deputy-chief-research-and-innovation-head-agriculture Commission promotes deputy chief for research and innovation to head of agriculture