BRUSSELS— Elżbieta Bieńkowska, a former European Commissioner and deputy Prime Minister of Poland, has joined Covington’s Global Public Policy Practice in Brussels as Senior Advisor. She joins a team of more than a dozen Senior Advisors in Europe, including former European Commissioners Cecilia Malmström and Andris Piebalgs.
Elżbieta served as European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Jean-Claude Juncker’s team from 2014 to 2019. In that capacity, she was responsible for much of the European Commission’s regulatory activity that affects the EU’s 450 million citizens, and all companies doing business in the EU. Elżbieta oversaw all product regulation in the EU, setting the rules for goods and services in sectors as diverse as chemicals, cars, electronics, IT infrastructure, machines, medical devices, and hydrogen. She managed the EU’s treatment of IP, led the Commission’s extensive work on standardization, and ran the EU’s industrial policy.
In her time at the Commission, Elżbieta launched the circular economy package, focusing on the regulation of packaging, waste, and batteries. She laid the foundations for the EU’s new industrial strategy, which ultimately resulted in the 2023 proposals for a Net-Zero Industry Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act. She was an early proponent of EU research into AI, and led the Commission’s renewed focus on fostering the space and defense industry in Europe.
“Elżbieta’s understanding of the economic imperatives of the European Union and the core market regulatory work of the European Commission will be invaluable to companies in all sectors,” said Sebastian Vos, Chair of Covington’s Global Public Policy Practice.
“As European Commissioner, I focused on effective market regulation that encouraged investment in modern technologies to improve the business environment and foster a strong and high-performing industrial base for the EU," added Elżbieta. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to help Covington’s clients, many of which provide core technologies for that economic renewal — from AI to green energy to food and medicines.”
Elżbieta is a graduate of oriental studies at the Jagiellonian University and completed her MBA at the Warsaw School of Economics.
For further information on our Public Policy Practice please visit: https://www.cov.com/en/practices-and-industries/practices/regulatory-and-public-policy/public-policy
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