Georg Emil Riekeles is Associate Director at the European Policy Centre.

Before joining the EPC, Georg served as diplomatic adviser to EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier during the four years of Brexit negotiations with the UK. He was in charge of relations with EU member states and the European Parliament during the withdrawal negotiations, and then took on responsibility for strategy and communication during the negotiations on the future partnership.

Previously, Georg was an adviser for security and defence at the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC), the European Commission’s in-house think tank. In that capacity, he worked helped initiate and develop significant new Commission initiatives in the areas of defense as part of President Juncker’s programme, and worked on EU-NATO relations.

Georg also served as member of cabinet to Commission Vice-President and Commissioner Michel Barnier in the period 2010-2014, working on digital and single market reforms, as well as inter-institutional relations in the context of the post-financial crisis regulatory agenda.

Before moving to Belgium, Georg worked in ministerial cabinets at the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the French Ministry of Foreign and European affairs, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors in France.

Georg holds a master’s degree in political science from l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, and studied economics and philosophy at the London School of Economics.

Besides Belgium and France, Georg has lived in the UK and the US. He is of Norwegian nationality and grew up in Oslo.

Georg enjoys skiing, cycling and the outdoors.