Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul holds a degree in political science and public administration from the University of Liège and an MPhil and a DPhil in European politics and society from Oxford University. Her research focused on policy formation in the European Union, and more particularly on education policy.
From 1999 to 2002, she was in charge of the team for "European and international affairs", in the cabinet of the Belgian Vice-Prime Minister Isabelle Durant, also Minister for Mobility and Transport. She acted, among other things, as a coordinator during the Belgian presidency of the EU Council. As an adviser for institutional matters, she represented the Vice-Prime Minister in the Belgian delegation at the WTO ministerial conference in Seattle and also in the Inter-Governmental Conference, taking part in the Biarritz, Nice and Laeken European Councils. She was also a member of the Belgian government working group on the Laeken Declaration.
Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul then joined the European Commission Directorate-General for Education and Culture, in the Audiovisual Policy unit. Employed in the Sector for external relations, she was in charge of the accession negociations with the 13 applicant countries for audiovisual matters as well as the relations with countries from the Western Balkans and South Mediterranea. She also assumed the coordination of an interservice group on intercultural dialogue and followed the work of the Convention on culture. In April 2004, she joined Notre Europe, first as President adviser, then as Secretary General.
Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul is married with two children. She was born on May 29th 1972 in Liege (Belgium).
With the establishment of the permanent European Council presidency and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the role of rotating presidencies has changed. This will have an impact on the role of the Trio Presidency in future. Does the rotating presidency still matter?
In this new edition of Think Global – Act European (TGAE), launched by Notre Europe, 14 Europeans think tanks answer that question by scrutinizing the 18-month agenda of the Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian Trio Presidency. For each specific issue (structural reform, economic governance, energy, climate change, migration, internal security, global governance, foreign policy defence, enlargement, neighbourhood, EU institutions, European political space and budget) they analyse the global context, existing challenges and put forward concrete proposals concerning key initiatives that can be taken by the Trio Presidency during this period.
In the sensitive context of the Lisbon Treaty implementation and complex management of the economic crisis, specific attention is given to the decisive coordination role that can be played by the Trio Presidency in defining more efficient – more integrated – European strategies.
After the Irish referendum, an Interview of Gaetane Ricard-Nihoul in "Top Story" emission for France 24, to answer the question: "Is Europe back on track?"
To see the interview, click on this link: France 24
The author is analysing the results of the European Elections around five questions: Should we resign ourselves to the low turnout? Victory of the right or status quo? Environment or ecology? Euroscepticism or extreme right? And, claiming or hesitating: radicalisation of a cleavage?