Maria-Francesca Spatolisano
Head of the Economic Affairs section at the Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations
Maria-Francesca Spatolisano is the Head of the Economic Affairs section at the Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations. In this capacity, she covers inter alia all issues related to trade, development and environmental policies discussed at the UN, in particular under the Second Committee.
She previously held the position of Deputy Permanent Representative of the European Community to the OECD, between 2001 and 2006, with responsibility for a number of management and policy issues, including the enlargement of the OECD.
She has a strong background of established trade policy experience, having served in a variety of positions in the Trade Directorate of the European Commission, including taking part in the WTO Uruguay Round and in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations.
She also served in the EC's Washington Delegation and was the EC representative in the WTO Trade and Development Committee between 1997 and 2000.
She was a visiting professor at George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) in the USA in 1995-6 and led seminars on international trade policy in Buenos Aires at the University of Bologna, Sede en Latin America, between 1998 and 2003.
She joined the EC in 1985, after seven years as assistant professor of Constitutional Law at Florence University, where she obtained her Doctor of law diploma "cum laude".
