Barend Leyts, spokesperson for European Council President Charles Michel, is leaving for the office of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, the Council’s press service announced on Friday.
The former VTM political journalist knows 16 rue de la Loi well: he became Charles Michel’s Dutch-speaking spokesman when the latter was appointed Prime Minister in October 2014. Leyts then followed Michel to the European Council building at the end of 2019 when Charles Michel took the helm of the circle of EU heads of state and government.
Related News
- 'We're heading for 10 years of nuclear certainty', De Croo assures
- Changing of the guard: Dutch PM Mark Rutte rules out election contest
For his part, Tom Meulenbergs, director of communications in the De Croo cabinet, announced three days ago that he would be leaving the Prime Minister’s service at the end of August, after more than ten years of working together. Meulenbergs will take charge of communications at BNP Paribas Fortis bank.
With Leyts stepping into Meulenbergs' position, he himself will be replaced by Ecaterina Casinge, former communications adviser to the European Parliament who is currently head of cabinet to the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu. Casinge will take up her post as spokesperson for the President of the Council in August.
