Executive Director

Role

The Executive Director is in charge of the management and administration of the Agency, excluding the Board of Appeal and its Registry. He is the legal representative of the European Chemicals Agency and reports to the ECHA's Management Board.

Biography

Geert Dancet became the first elected Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in January 2008. Under his leadership, the Agency successfully managed all regulatory processes of the REACH and CLP regulations. ECHA has become one of the large-size regulatory agencies of the EU with over 500 staff members in charge of the EU chemicals legislations, including the new Biocidal Products and PIC regulations. His mandate was renewed in 2012 and will end on 31 December 2017.

The Commission nominated him as interim Executive Director in January 2007 in order to set up the Agency in Helsinki as from 1 June 2007.

From 2004 to 2007 he was the Head of the REACH Unit in the European Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry. The unit was co-responsible for taking the REACH proposal through the regulatory process in the Council and the European Parliament as well as for developing and coordinating the REACH implementation strategy, which included the preparations for the new Chemicals Agency.

He first joined the European Commission in 1986 and worked for most of his Commission career in the competition policy field. Prior to working for the European Commission, Mr Dancet enjoyed a brief academic career in the University of Leuven (Belgium) and was a programme coordinator for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Colombia.

He studied economics, econometrics and philosophy at the University of Leuven, Belgium. Mr Dancet is married with four children.

ED Speeches

 

 

Relevant speeches
Title Speech Document Date Location
WSSD 2020 goals — are we going to make it? [PDF] 08/06/2017 Helsinki
Exchange of views at the Committee of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 07/11/2016 Brussels
Executive Director's keynote speech in Helsinki Chemical Forum [PDF] 26/05/2016 Helsinki
Exchange of views at the Committee of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 13/10/2015 Brussels
Executive Director's keynote speech in Helsinki Chemical Forum [PDF] 28/05/2015 Helsinki
Exchange of views at the Committee of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 04/12/2014 Brussels
Opening Ceremony at Helsinki Chemicals Forum [PDF] 18/06/2013 Helsinki
Exchange of views at the Committee of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 29/05/2013 Brussels
Exchange of views at the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 29/11/2012 Brussels
Opening Ceremony at Helsinki Chemicals Forum [PDF] 24/05/2012 Helsinki
Exchange of views at the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 03/10/2011 Brussels
REACH Conference - What did we achieve in 2010? How can we ease the way for 2013? [PDF] 23/09/2011 Brussels
Exchange of views at the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 09/11/2010 Brussels
Opening Ceremony of the Second Global Helsinki Chemicals Forum [PDF] 20/05/2010 Helsinki
Exchange of views at the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [PDF] 03/11/2009 Brussels
Inauguration day [PDF] 03/06/2008 Helsinki

 

 

ED Meetings

 

 

Meetings of ECHA's Executive Director with external stakeholders
Date Entities Location Accredited stakeholder organisation
02/03/2017 European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC Brussels X
02/03/2017 European Environmental Bureau EEB Brussels X
15/12/2016 European Association of the Metals Industry Eurometaux Brussels X
15/12/2016 The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises UEAPME Brussels X
09/11/2016 European Association of the Metals Industry Eurometaux and European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC Brussels X
07/11/2016 Downstream Users of Chemicals Co-ordination group DUCC Brussels
06/10/2016 European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC Florence X
03/10/2016 The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises UEAPME Brussels X
02/08/2016 Avaaz.org Phone conference
18/07/2016 European Environmental Bureau EEB Brussels X
09/06/2016 European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC Brussels X
07/03/2016 European Coalition to End Animal Experiments ECEAE Helsinki X
19/02/2016 International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products A. I. S. E Brussels X
18/02/2016 European Cosmetics Association Cosmetics Europe Brussels X
17/02/2016 International Fragrance Association IFRA Brussels X
16/02/2016 European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC Brussels X
28/01/2016 International Chemical Secretariat ChemSec Helsinki X
09/11/2015 The oil companies' European organisation for environment, health and safety in refining and distribution CONCAWE Brussels X
14/10/2015 industriAll, European Trade Union Helsinki X
18/09/2015 International Fragrance Association IFRA Grasse X
11/09/2015 European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC Brussels X
14/07/2015 European Environmental Bureau EEB Brussels X
17/03/2015 International Chemical Secretariat ChemSec Helsinki X
19/02/2015 European Environmental Bureau EEB Brussels X
16/02/2015 The oil companies' European organisation for environment, health and safety in refining and distribution CONCAWE Helsinki X

 

 

 

Correspondence with ECHA's Executive Director

Image
Geert Dancet*
Executive Director

executive-director (at) echa.europa.eu

 

 

*Person designated by ECHA according to Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council for requests for internal review of an administrative act or relating to an administrative omission.

 

Executive Director

Geert Dancet
Geert Dancet is the Executive Director.