The European Union (EU) selected Magda Kopczynska as its new director general for Transport and Mobility (DG Move), a role she officially assumed on August 1. She takes over from Henrik Hololei, who resigned in March amid allegations of accepting free flights from Qatar Airways during negotiations for an open skies agreement with Qatar.
The College of Commissioners appointed Kopczynska last month, stating she was “particularly well-suited” to take on the position due to her thorough knowledge of the various aspects of the EU’s transport policy and her proven leadership and management skills.
A Polish national, Kopczynska joined the European Commission in December 2006, initially contributing to the Directorate General for the Internal Market. She transitioned to DG Move in 2009, where she led the unit for clean transport and sustainable urban mobility, followed by the unit for maritime transport and logistics. She was promoted to director of innovative and sustainable transport in 2014 and subsequently became the director of waterborne transport. In January 2022, she took on the role of deputy director general of the Directorate General of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Her professional journey began as a translator for the U.S. ambassador to Poland, after which she held diverse positions across the public, private, and non-governmental sectors in her home country and in Brussels.