Catherine Day is the current Secretary-General of the European Commission

Secretary-General of the European Commission

The Secretary-General of the European Commission is the senior civil servant of the European Commission. The Secretary-General, who is responsible to the President of the European Commission, is in charge of the various Directorates-General, headed by Directors-General.His/her personal staff form...

. She has been in that position since 2005 during the Barroso Commission

Barroso Commission

The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 2014. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners...

, having previously been the Director General for the Environment

Directorate-General for the Environment (European Commission)

The Directorate-General for the Environment is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, responsible for the European Union policy area of the environment....

.

Ms. Day was part of a reshuffle among Commission officials in favour of liberal economic reformers. She had become notable in the Commission for taking on French state aid policy. http://www.ufppc.org/us-a-world-news-mainmenu-35/3615

She has an M.A.

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 in International Trade and Economic Integration from University College Dublin

University College Dublin

University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

 and went on to be the loan officer at the Investment Bank of Ireland in 1974. In 1975 she became EC Information Officer at the Confederation of Irish Industry

Irish Business and Employers Confederation

The Irish Business and Employers Confederation is Ireland's largest business and employers lobbying organisation. It represents the interests of over 7500 organisations of all sizes, regions and industry sectors...

 entering the European Commission in 1979 becoming an Administrator in Directorate-General

Directorate-General

A Directorate-General is a branch of an administration dedicated to a specific field of expertise.* The European Commission: Commission Directorates-General are each headed by a European Commissioner;* The European Patent Office: EPO Directorates-General;...

 III.

From then she served in the cabinets of Richard Burke, Peter Sutherland

Peter Sutherland

Peter Denis Sutherland, KCMG is an Irish international businessman and former Attorney General of Ireland, associated with the Fine Gael party . He is a barrister by profession, and is also Senior Counsel at the Irish Bar...

 and Leon Brittan. Before becoming Director General for the Environment she served in Directorate-Generals of Enlargement

Directorate-General for Enlargement (European Commission)

The Directorate-General for Enlargement is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. The DG Enlargement is responsible for the enlargement process of the European Union...

 and Directorate-General for External Relations (European Commission)

Directorate-General for External Relations (European Commission)

The Directorate-General for the External Relations was a Directorate-General of the European Commission, responsible for the external policy...

. http://www.oecd.org/document/41/0,2340,en_21571361_27379763_31498217_1_1_1_1,00.html

External links

• Interview with European Commission Secretary-General Catherine Day euractiv.com 26/09/06