Changes to the ECMI Executive Board

In early November, the ECMI Executive Board will hold its regular autumnal meeting, which will feature a number of changes in the Board’s composition due to rotations and replacements.

Traditionally, the German Federal Ministry of Interior appoints as its representative to the ECMI Board a member of the German Bundestag. With the legislative elections that took place in Germany in September 2021, the term of MdB Petra Nicolaisen (CDU) came to an end. After consultations with the new majority in the legislature, the Ministry invited Sönke Rix, MdB from Rendsburg (SPD), to fill this seat on the Board.

In May 2022, two additional changes were announced. Dr. Stine Jørgensen, the Board’s representative on behalf of the ECMI’s Danish Founder (the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science), took up a position as Professor for social welfare law, equality and discrimination law at the University of Copenhagen. She will be succeeded on the ECMI Board by Annemarie Falktoft, Deputy Director General at the Agency.

Likewise, Christoph Kamp, the Director of the Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities at the OSCE, announced his appointment as the new Ambassador of the Netherlands to the OSCE. Until a successor to Kamp as Office Director is named, this seat on the ECMI Board will remain vacant.

Lastly, in late October, Dr. Beate Sibylle Pfeil, departed from the Board after five years of service as Vice-Chair. Dr. Pfeil was named to the Board as an academic expert on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Interior and the Land Schleswig-Holstein. She played an instrumental role in guiding the Centre during its 2019-2020 transition to a new Director as well as liaising between the ECMI and numerous partner institutions such as the Council of Europe, where she serves on the Committee of Experts for the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. A new expert member to the ECMI Executive Board will be appointed by the German Founders in the coming months.

The ECMI would like to extend its heartfelt thanks all of its one-time members for their service, and looks forward to welcoming its new members at the next Executive Board meeting in November!