Jana Javornik speaks to Petra Petan, a policy assistant in the cabinet of Paolo Gentiloni, the European Commissioner for the Economy. Petra gives some useful insight into the daily work of the European Commission, as well as providing some advice on how academics can work with members of the Commission. 

If you would like to get in touch about this episode, please contact Jana Javornik at research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. 

For more information about Leeds University Business School’s work with policymakers visit the website.

About the speaker:  

Petra Petan is a political economist with a Masters from the London School of Economics and a degree in English language and literature from the University of Ljubljana. 

After her first job in finance, she realised that policy and EU affairs are where her heart lies and got her first taste for both during a give-month Blue Book traineeship at the Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission in 2017. She later moved to a different part of the European Commission, getting acquainted with the European Semester. 

Petra later returned to her hometown of Ljubljana to join the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development as a Senior Advisor on social and employment topics. 

At the end of 2019, she joined the newly formed Commission of President von der Leyen, as Policy Assistant in the Cabinet of Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy. Ever since, she’s worked in the cabinet on a vast array of topics, from the European Semester to the Customs Union, with ECOFIN and Eurogroup coordination and Sustainable Development Goals in between. Drawing on her previous experience in employment and social issues, she’s been responsible for the coordination these topics with the cabinet of EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights. She’s also been covering financial affairs, international partnerships, and foresight.