Secretary General Eberhard Uhlmann will retire by the end of 2006, after having served in this position since August 2002, and after 28 years in the EIB. The EIB Group's President Philippe Maystadt and Management Committee expressed their wholehearted appreciation of the remarkable contribution he has made throughout his career at the Bank. Philippe Maystadt said: "As the EIB's Secretary General from 2002 to 2006, Eberhard Uhlmann oversaw the major organisational and operational changes made at the EIB in recent years including the development of new financial products and risk management structures designed to accommodate the new tasks handed down by successive European Councils, the strengthening of dialogue with the European institutions, especially the European Parliament, and the introduction of a policy of enhanced transparency vis-à-vis civil society."

The EIB's Management Committee has called upon Alfonso Querejeta to assume the duties of the post of Secretary General, Director General of Human Resources and General Counsel of Legal Affairs with effect from 1 January 2007. Alfonso Querejeta, a Spanish national, began his career as a university professor in commercial law. He subsequently became Head of the Legal Department of Compañia Vascongada de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A. (Groupe Bâloise). He joined the Legal Affairs Directorate of the EIB in 1986. Until 2000 he held various posts within this Directorate. From 2000 until 2003 he was Director of the Department for Lending Operations in Spain and Portugal. In 2003 he was appointed Director of the Department responsible for the Legal Aspects of Operations in and outside the Union. In 2005 he was named Director of Human Resources. Mr Querejeta holds a Law Degree from the University of San Sebastián and a PhD in Law from the University of Bologna, Italy.

Rémy Jacob has been appointed Director General of the newly created Strategy and Corporate Centre Directorate, with effect from 1 January 2007. His responsibilities encompass the EIB Group's general strategy, planning of the Bank's Corporate Operational Plan, budget, financial control and reporting, economic and financial studies, external communication and corporate social responsibility as well as buildings, facilities and logistics.

Rémy Jacob, a French national, holds a degree in Economics and Management from the École Supérieure de Commerce, Dijon, France. He began his career in a private bank before joining the EIB's Finance Directorate in 1973. After working in various management positions, he became Head of the Budget Division in 1983. He then developed his career as Head of the Personnel Administration Division. In 1993 he was named Director of Information Technology. In 1997 he became Director of Corporate Affairs and in 2002 he was appointed Deputy Secretary General responsible for management of the EIB's internal resources, those dealing with documentation, and the Information and Communications Department. In 2003 Mr Jacob launched the new building project at the EIB's headquarters.

Grammatiki Tsingou-Papadopetrou has been appointed Director General of the Projects Directorate (PJ), with effect from 1 January 2007. She will succeed Michel Deleau, who retires at the end of 2006.

Ms Tsingou, a Greek national, began her career in 1968 as a consultant for a private consultancy firm. In 1969 she joined the Greek Ministry of Public Works and worked on project development and implementation for the Greek National Development Plan. In late 1982 she moved to the Greek Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, where she covered issues of financial and technical cooperation with the ACP and Mediterranean countries. Ms Tsingou joined the EIB in 1985, starting as a loan officer and in 1996 she was appointed Head of Division for lending in Poland and the Baltic States. During the period 2000-2003 - and in parallel with her main tasks - Ms Tsingou served as an alternate director for the EIB on the Board of Directors of the EBRD. Since January 2004 she has been Director of the South-East Europe Department, which today covers the Bank's lending in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. Ms Tsingou holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MSc in Quantitative Economics from Bristol University.