Former Top Civil Servant at the European Commission, Dr. Alexander Italianer, Joins Arnold & Porter
BRUSSELS and WASHINGTON, DC, March 21, 2019 — Arnold & Porter announced today that Dr. Alexander Italianer, former Secretary-General and Director-General for Competition of the European Commission, has joined the Firm as Senior International Policy Advisor in the Firm's Global Law and Public Policy practice. Dr. Italianer will be a consultant, resident in the Brussels office and provide strategic insight to clients on a range of global and European Union business issues including competition, international trade, foreign investment and regulatory issues.*
Dr. Italianer spent over 30 years at the European Commission eventually rising to the position of its top civil servant—Secretary-General under President Juncker. As Secretary-General, he provided policy advice to the President and his Vice-Presidents, organized the coordination of economic policies among member states, promoted improved regulation, devised the structure for Brexit preparedness, and supervised preparations for the multiannual EU budgetary framework proposals through 2027. From 2010-2015, Dr. Italianer served as Director-General for Competition, handling key antitrust, merger, and state aid cases across all critical economic sectors.
During his distinguished career at the European Commission, Dr. Italianer touched many other key issues. He assisted in the negotiation of the Maastricht Treaty, one of the most significant agreements in the EU's history, and, from his post in the Private Office of then President Santer, oversaw the introduction of the euro, and relations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Italianer later served as Head of the Private Office of Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen and as Director for International Economic and Financial Affairs before joining the Private Office of then President Barroso as Deputy Head, responsible for overall strategic planning and institutional and interinstitutional issues. In 2006, Italianer was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, responsible for Better Regulation, Programming and Coordination. In this role, he was closely involved in regulatory cooperation with US authorities.
Arnold & Porter's Bill Baer, former US Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, said: "During a critical time in Europe, where Brexit, trade, foreign investment and competition are front and center, Alexander brings extraordinary insight into the key issues facing today's global economy and an unparalleled knowledge of the workings of the European Commission. I have worked closely with him over the years and I know our clients facing business challenges in Europe will greatly benefit from his experience. We proudly welcome him to our team."
Added Dr. Italianer: "I am delighted to affiliate with Arnold & Porter. Over the years, initially through working with former competition enforcers Bill Baer and Luc Gyselen, I have come to admire the firm's consistent quality and its effective advocacy on behalf of private and public clients. I look forward to joining their Global Law and Public Policy team."
In recent months, Arnold & Porter has added two additional Senior International Policy Advisors to its roster: Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs at the US State Department; and Ambassador Miomir Žužul, former Croatian Ambassador to the United Nations, the US, Organization of American States, and the United Mexican States. Both Shannon and Žužul provide strategic counsel to firm clients across a range of foreign policy issues and are members of Arnold & Porter's Global Law and Public Policy practice.
Dr. Italianer, a former participant in the International Visitors Program run by the United States State Department, holds a Ph.D., cum laude, in economics from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
*Dr. Italianer will exercise his responsibilities in accordance with the rules applying to former senior civil servants of the European Commission.
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