The Secretary General, Mr Christian Spahr reports to the Executive Board and is responsible forimplementing the decisions of AER’s governing bodies. Together with them, he advocates for a Europe of solidarity, a strong say of its diverse regions in policymaking and an authentic democratic experience of citizens. The Secretary General prepares the strategy and work plans based on members’ priorities. He leads the team of the Secretariat with offices in Brussels and Strasbourg, the AER Southeast Europe Hub in Alba Iulia (Romania), as well as seconded civil servants across Europe. Jointly with the AER President and other Board members, Christian represents AER in its working relationships with governments, the EU Institutions, and international organisations, as well as towards the public and the media. He also oversees the budget, in cooperation with the Vice-President Treasurer.
Curriculum vitae
Spokesperson for Regional Policy and economic affairs, European Commission (2018-2020, Brussels)
- Leading the teams for economic affairs (2018) and Regional Policy (as of Nov. 2018) within the Spokesperson’s Service
- Communication management with various Commissioners, the President’s Cabinet, EU partners, and governments
- Key topics: Cohesion policy, economic governance, investment, innovation, and sustainable development
- Deputy Spokesperson for culture, youth, education, media, digital industry and social issues
Director, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Media Programme South East Europe (2012-2018, Sofia)
- Overall responsibility for a ten-country regional programme on media policy, good governance, and communication
- Policy dialogue, advocacy, and capacity development in the fields of independent journalism and citizen dialogue
- Topics: new media business models, digital literacy, journalism education, EU integration and regional understanding
- Host, speaker and moderator at political, media and PR conferences in EU countries, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe
Spokesperson, Bitkom (Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media, 2006-2012, Berlin)
- Management of media relations and public affairs on subjects of the IT sector like internet policy and digital society
- Individual topics: innovation, SMEs, digital lifestyle, media policy, consumer rights, safety of young internet users
- Research projects on internet use in many areas of daily life; international cooperation with Bitkom’s partner countries
- Reporting to the CEO, advising Bitkom’s president on communication, and leading task forces with member companies
Business Editor, Sächsische Zeitung (daily newspaper, 2003-2006, Dresden region, Germany)
- Leading the economic reporting in a part of the circulation area, mainly on regional development and employment
- Coordination with local newsrooms, periodic responsibility as managing editor, deputizing for the regional director
Christian has further experience in print and broadcast journalism, the education sector, and non-profit work. He is the founder of a professional association for communication directors of public authorities including regional governments. Christian holds a Master’s degree of Technische Universität Dresden in French and German studies, with focuses on cultural policy and corporate communication. He is alumnus of the Journalism Academy of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, a Berlin-based think tank. Christian’s home region is Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Office Number: +32 2 400 10 04
