Biography

May 2006 – to 31 January 2011:

Director General, Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (deputizing for the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly)

1 November 2009 – 31 March 2010:

Acting Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

October 1996 to 31 January 2011:

Co-director of the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD)

June 1996 – April 2006:

Director (Deputy Clerk) – Head of the General Services Department of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

-giving assistance to the Secretary General (Clerk) of the Parliamentary Assembly in all his tasks, and replacing him as needed;

-responsible for the Interparliamentary Cooperation Work Programme;

-responsible for the coordination of Committees’ activities;

-responsible for management of the Staff of the Secretariat, Administration and Finance.

February 1990 – May 1996:

Secretary General of the Polish Senate

-responsible for establishing and managing all aspects of the Upper House (Senate) of the Polish Parliament’s day–to-day activities;

-providing political, legal and procedural advice to all statutory organs of the Senate;

-responsible for maintaining contact with the Secretariats of other Parliaments;

-Co-ordinator on the Polish side for the implementation of long-term assistance programmes by a number of Western Parliaments.

October 1977 – January 1990:

Programmer and Head of Department in the Power Industry Computer Centre – Warsaw, Poland

-responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining computer operating systems.

1979 – 1986:

Outside lecturer for the Polish Academy of Sciences – Warsaw

Miscellaneous:

Since 1990

Association of Secretaries General of Parliament

Member (since 1990); Member of the Executive Committee (1992-1996); Vice-President (1995-1996); Honorary Member (since 1996)

1979 – 1996: Member of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw Club of Catholic Intellectuals; 1981-1984: Vice-president of the Club; 1984-1990: Treasurer of the Club.

1980 – 1981: Chairman of the “Solidarność” Trade Union Section at the Power Industry Computer Centre – Warsaw.

1981 – 1987: Member of the Church Committee to Assist (Political) Prisoners and their Families (established following the imposition of martial law in December 1981); Head of the Registry and Information Office of the Committee, responsible for setting up and managing the information system of the Committee, with more than 18.000 entries.

Distinctions:

2011: Commander Cross of the Order of the Polish Renaissance (Polonia Restituta).

2002: Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)

Education: Warsaw University, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences – M. Sc. In Computer Sciences, specializing in operating systems (1978)

Languages: Polish, English, French and Russian

Nationality: Polish | Date of birth: 20 March 1955 | Married, 3 children