EUROPEAN COMMISSION: MUSICAL CHAIRS AT DG TREN AGAIN.

With the appointment of Hungary's Zoltan Kazatsay to the post of Deputy Director-General at DG TREN with responsibility for Transport (see issue 2914), one of the posts earmarked for officials from the new Member States has been filled. Mr Kazatsay is due to take up office in mid-December. However, two other posts also reserved for officials from the new Member States have still to be filled: that of Director of Directorate J "Security - Protection of persons, of the assets and the facilities", currently headed ad interim by Jean Lestour, which should be filled in the course of December; and that of Head of Unit E1 "Land transport policy", headed ad interim by Isabelle Kardacz.

Two Deputy Cabinet Chiefs.

DG TREN provides two deputy Chefs de Cabinet for the new Barroso Commission. Germany's Peter Schwaiger, former Deputy Chef de Cabinet to Loyola de Palacio, is moving to take up the same post in External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner's Cabinet. Another key DG TREN post has to be filled since Christopher Jones, Head of Unit C2 for "Electricity and Gas", has been appointed Deputy Chef de Cabinet to the new Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. His right hand Stefa Gewaltig is currently the acting Head of Unit C2. Ioannis Galanis is meanwhile in temporary charge of Unit C3 Coal and Oil.

There are several changes among advisors. Roberto Salvarani, former advisor to Director Dominique Ristori in Directorate A takes charge of Unit F3 "Environment and Air Safety", in place of Rodrigo Vila de Benavent, who is entrusted with Unit G2 "Short-sea shipping, inland navigation and ports". He replaces Dirk van Vrecken who had only been in charge since May 1, moving on...