Stefaan De Rynck (BEL)

Head of the European Commission’s Representation in Belgium

Stefaan is an EU official and currently heads the European Commission’s Representation in Belgium, creating a bridge between the EU’s executive and Belgian politics and society. He was a senior advisor to Michel Barnier, the Chief EU Brexit Negotiator from 2016 until 2021, and wrote a book on his experience called “Inside the Deal – How the EU got Brexit done” (2023).

Stefaan´s experience in EU affairs and public policy covers financial services, the EU single market, transport, sustainable urban development, and regional policy. He is a member of the political science faculty at the University of Leuven in Belgium (KUL) and teaches on EU governance. He was previously at the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and the Collegio Carlo Alberto at the University of Turin (Italy). He obtained a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.