Mrs. Charlina Vitcheva was appointed Director-General of DG MARE, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in June 2020.
Previously, she became Deputy Director-General of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in September 2016. She served as Acting Director-General of the JRC from November 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020.
Before that, Mrs. Vitcheva was Director for Smart and Sustainable Growth in Southern Europe at DG Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and also held positions as Director in the areas of Inclusive Growth, Territorial and Urban Development, and Northern Europe.
Before joining the European Commission, Charlina Vitcheva worked for 15 years in the Bulgarian public administration, including at the Permanent Representation in Brussels, where she was actively involved in Bulgaria's accession negotiations to the European Union, particularly dealing with agricultural and fisheries issues, and led negotiations from 2000 to 2004 in the fields of agriculture, rural development, food security, and fisheries.