Confirmed speaker

Klaus Berend

Director for the Directorate Food Safety, Sustainability and Innovation – DG SANTE – European Commission 

Dr. Klaus Berend joined the European Commission in 1994 and is currently Director for the Directorate Food Safety, Sustainability and Innovation in the European Commission’s Directorate-General Health and Food Safety.

Before, he was Head of Unit responsible for the implementation of the Pesticides and Biocides legislation in the same Directorate-General. Earlier on, he was Head of Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs, in charge of the implementation of the EU Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

He was Deputy Head of Unit in the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, Unit Biotechnology & Pesticides, where he co-ordinated the work concerning biocides, plant protection products and the Community’s participation in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC).

He studied chemistry at the universities of Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Stanford, and obtained a PhD in polymer chemistry from the University of Freiburg (Germany).