The Chief Interpreter post will be filled on an interim basis while the European Commission seeks a new head to fill the position.
After acting as the European Commission (EC) Directorate General for Interpretation for four years, Florika Fink-Hooijer has stepped down to fill the role as Directorate General for the Environment, reporting to Virginijus Sinkevičius, commissioner for Environment and Oceans at the EC. The move has left the EC in search for a replacement Chief Interpreter.
Beginning in 2016, Fink-Hooijer led the Directorate General for Interpretation, also known by its previous French acronym SCIC. The SCIC is the world’s largest interpreting service with over 500 interpreters on staff, supported by 3,000 additional freelance interpreters.
The post came under fire recently after the EU COVID-response effort excluded thousands of freelance interpreters, a common theme for freelance workers during the pandemic. The Association of Conference Interpreters (AAIC), an international trade union, issued a press statement in June that highlighted the importance of supporting interpreters.
“Conference interpreters are facing financial losses that, in some cases, represent up to 100% of their income. Because of the nature of their contractual relation with the Institutions, most freelance interpreters will not be eligible for national aid measures, even if their Member State of residence were to adopt support measures for this category of workers,” the AIIC said.
Following the departure of Fink-Hooijer, the current deputy Carlos Alegria will take over as acting General Directorate for Interpreting on an interim basis as the EC searches for a new head. Alegria served as an interpreter for the SCIC from 1985-1993.
Furthermore, the EC is looking at women candidates for the new Chief Interpreter to meet its 2019 target ratio of 40% women in official posts, according to UEPO.de. Currently, women make up 38% of leadership in the EC.
The new President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, “has set her goals even higher: by 2024, half of all managers within the Commission administration should be women,” the report said.
According to UEPO.de, “Since Florika Fink-Hooijer is replacing a man in DG Environment, a renewed female occupation of the chief interpreter’s post would offer the opportunity to increase the proportion of women at this important management level. A total of 33 Directorates-General work for the Commission.”
