Speakers

Mr. Janez Lenarčič is currently serving as Commissioner for Crisis Management in the European Commission, which took up the mandate in December 2019. In this capacity, he is responsible for EU civil protection as well as humanitarian aid, with an overall focus on ensuring that European Commission has the tools and the capacity to respond swiftly and efficiently whenever the EU is called upon, whether in Europe or elsewhere in the world.

Prior to this assignment, Mr Lenarcic has served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the EU in Brussels from 2016. Before and as of 2014, he held the Secretary of State position in the cabinet of the Slovenian Prime Minister. His previous experience also entails the position of Director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw from 2008 to 2014. He also served as Secretary of State for European Affairs, including representing Slovenia during the Lisbon Treaty negotiations in 2007 and later representing the Slovenian EU Council Presidency to the European Parliament in 2008.

In 2002 and 2003 he held the position of State Secretary in the cabinet of the Slovenian Prime Minister, after which he started to serve as Slovenian ambassador to the OSCE. In 2005, he was also Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OSCE in Vienna. In 2000 he started serving as adviser to the foreign minister and the following year he became the diplomatic adviser to the then Slovenian Prime Minister. Between 1994 and 1999 he was posted to Slovenia’s Permanent Representation to UN in New York, where he also served as the alternate representative of Slovenia on the UN Security Council.

Mr. Lenarčič is the recipient of France's highest award as Officier de la Legion d'Honneur. Next to his native Slovenian his languages are English, French and Serbian. Mr. Lenarčič holds a degree in international law from Ljubljana University.