Ms Charlina Vitcheva, European Commission, was appointed Director-General of the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) in June 2020. Prior to this, she was Deputy Director General of the Joint Research Center (JRC). She was acting Director General for the JRC from the 1 November 2019 to the 30 April 2020. Previously, she was Director of Smart and Sustainable Growth and Southern Europe at DG REGIO, and also held a Director’s position on Inclusive Growth, Territorial and Urban Development and Northern Europe. Before joining the European Commission, Charlina spent 15 years in the Bulgarian public administration including at the Permanent Representation in Brussels, dealing mainly with agricultural and fisheries issues. She was actively involved in the EU accession negotiations of Bulgaria.