LCDS Director Melinda Mills appointed as special advisor to the European Commission

Professor Melinda Mills, Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science (LCSD), has been appointed as of one three Special Advisors to Paolo Gentiloni, the European Commissioner of the Economy. Paolo Gentiloni served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2016 to 2018, and has subsequently served as the European Commissioner for the Economy in the von der Leyen Commission since December 2019.

Professor Mills will advise the Commissioner on socioeconomic matters. This is an extension of her previous work on the European Commission’s High-Level Group on post-COVID economic and social challenges. The report from this group, published in March 2022, is freely available here:

'A New Era for Europe: How the European Union Can Make the Most of its Pandemic Recovery, Pursue Sustainable Growth and Promote Global Stability'.

In her advisory role to the High-Level Group, Professor Mills authored Chapter 3 of the report: “The future of employment in a post-COVID Europe: Building resilience through a fair social, digital and green economy”. The chapter evaluates "how the pandemic transformed employment" and "examines the heterogeneity of policy responses across Europe, following this up with a vision of opportunities brought about by the green, digital and social transition for a fair post-pandemic recovery sensitive to climate risks and emphasising higher productivity" (Chapter 3, p79).

Read the full coverage on Professor Mills' appointment, and contribution to the report, on the LCDS Website.