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Benedetto della Vedova is Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2006 until 2013, and has been a member of the Italian Senate since 2013. Mr. della Vedova was a Member of European Parliament from 1999 until 2004. He started his career as a researcher at IEFE Bocconi and IRER from 1987 until 1996, and was then assistant professor for Economics and Agricultural Policies at the Università Cattolica between the years 1990 and 1995.
Dimitris Avramopoulos is the new EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship. He was previously the Greek Minister of National Defence. He was also the Mayor of Athens for eight years, and has served in a number of cabinet posts, including Minister for Foreign Affairs. He has also been the Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consul General of Greece to Geneva and the Director of the Greek Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Office.
Nicola Annecchino, is Legal Adviser to the Director-General of DG HOME at the European Commission. From 2010 to 2012, he was Head of the Coordination and Planning, Interinstitutional relations, Communication Unit in DG HOME. From 2005 to 2010, he headed a Strategic Policy, Evaluation and Interinstitutional Relations Unit and before that an Immigration and Asylum Unit from 2005 to 2007. Prior to that he worked in the office of the Advocate General at the European Court of Justice from 1989 to 1992. Before joining the European Commission, Mr Annecchino lectured in International and Community Law at the Faculty of Law from 1985 to 1986. He holds a master’s degree in law (cum laude) from the University of Naples.
Raphaël Sodini, has been Councillor for immigration and asylum in the Cabinet of the French Ministers of the Interior since 2012. He has served as Head of Department for family benefits and housing assistance in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and as councillor of the Administrative Court of Paris from 2010 to 2012. In 2005, Mr Sodini became inspector in charge of the emergency homeless housing facility and asylum seekers Directorate of the ‘Hauts-de-Seine’ area of France, where he was also in charge of inspecting governmental initiatives for foreigners, youth, children and family from 2002 to 2006. Since2010, he is lecturer in public law at the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) and the Institute of Public Management and Economic Development. He is the author of the book ‘The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’.
Nicolas Beger is the director of the Amnesty International European Institutions Office, which specialises in EU human rights policy inside the EU and globally, the Council of Europe, regional campaigning, research and media as well as organisational development. He was previously director of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), working in the area of EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding policies. Nicolas has a background in anti-discrimination policy, conflict prevention, and gender policy, as well as professional training and mediation qualifications. He is a long-standing LGBT activist with a specialisation in transgender issues.
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