Von der Leyen appoints Portuguese EU civil servant Paula Pinho as new chief spokesperson

BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen picked senior EU civil servant Paula Pinho to be her chief spokesperson for her second five-year term.

Pinho, a Portuguese national and trained lawyer, has worked for the Commission since 2000 and is currently a director in the directorate general for energy. She has also worked in the Cabinets of several European commissioners.

Pinho will replace Eric Mamer, who has done the job since von der Leyen became president of the EU executive in 2019. One of the main jobs of the chief spokesperson is to field questions from journalists at the Commission’s daily press conference, known as the midday briefing.

The next Commission can only begin once the European Parliament votes in favor of the new College of 27 commissioners. A vote is widely expected to take place Nov. 27, paving the way for the new Commission to take office on Dec. 1.

According to a biography posted online, Pinho speaks six European languages: Portuguese, German, English, French, Spanish and Italian.