The European Policy Centre (EPC) is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Kuiper is joining the organisation as an Associate Director and the Head of the Social Europe and Well-being programme.
Elizabeth is the third Associate Director to join the EPC's Management team, following the appointments of Ricardo Borges de Castro and Georg Riekeles in 2021. As such, she will help determine the organisation's overall direction and contribute to realising the EPC's mission of championing and improving European integration.
Beyond her role as an Associate Director, she will also head the EPC's Social Europe and Well-being programme. Elizabeth's focus will be on EU health policy and further developing the concept of the economy of well-being, linking up the EPC's research on health care, social equality, sustainability and economic governance.
"I am thrilled to be joining the EPC," Elizabeth said. "The European Union is at a crossroads. Between the ongoing effects of the pandemic, climate change, and the war in Ukraine, Europeans’ well-being stands to suffer on multiple fronts. At the same time, the case for putting our health and the planet's health at the core of all policymaking has never been clearer or more urgent. I look forward to working with my EPC colleagues on these and other challenging issues."
Before joining the EPC, Elizabeth was the Executive Director Public Affairs at the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), where she was leading the organisation’s advocacy and external engagement strategy.
Early in her career, she served as a political advisor to the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports in the Balkenende-IV cabinet. In 2010, she transferred to the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU in Brussels. There, Elizabeth represented the Netherlands’ interests in EU negotiations on health policies, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
On the new appointment, Chief Executive Fabian Zuleeg said: "Elizabeth's insights, expertise and experience are of tremendous value. The fact that she is familiar with both the national and EU side of policymaking will greatly enhance our capacity to deliver forward-looking yet practical and evidence-based solutions to decision-makers and help bridge the gap between the member state capitals and Brussels. She will make a great addition to our team."