During the joint meeting of Copa and Cogeca, the members of the two European-based organizations decided to appoint Elli Tsiforou as the head of their joint General Secretariat.

Her candidacy was unanimously approved due to her extensive knowledge of the mechanics of national and EU agricultural policies and organizations. Elli Tsiforou will assume her duties in September.

Following a recruitment process launched in February 2024 after the departure of former Secretary General Pekka Pesonen, representatives of all agricultural cooperatives and farmers' organizations in the EU unanimously decided to entrust the leadership of the organization to Elli Tsiforou, making her the first woman to hold this position since the Secretariat's inception in 1962.

Copa and Cogeca Presidents, Christiane Lambert and Lennart Nilsson, stated: “Elli Tsiforou will bring her personal qualities, her vision for agriculture, her knowledge of Copa-Cogeca, European institutions, and strong engagement with farmers and cooperatives at the national level.

Elli Tsiforou's arrival comes at the right time, at the beginning of a new political cycle in which agriculture must be brought back to the center of public debates. We also want to thank Deputy Secretary General Patrick Pagani and the Copa-Cogeca teams who will continue to manage the organization's transition as they have successfully done in this very special year of 2024.”

After studying media and communication studies in her native Greece and France, Elli Tsiforou dedicated her career to defending the interests of farmers and cooperatives at the European and national levels. Elli Tsiforou, successively becoming a political advisor to the European and Hellenic Parliament and chief of staff in the office of the Greek Minister for Tourism and Culture, has been involved with GAIA Epicheirein for the past 10 years, working to defend Greek farmers and cooperatives at the national and European level, first as head of EU affairs and later as general manager and CEO.

Closely involved in Copa-Cogeca working groups, Elli Tsiforou is also the chair of Cogeca's Cooperative Coordination Committee (CCC) since 2020, a role in which she has stood out for her dynamism and ability to bring about compromises among its members.

Elli Tsiforou will take up her post in September 2024. Until then, Patrick Pagani will continue to be responsible for the Copa-Cogeca Secretariat. (Photo: Euractiv)