ABOUT ME

A 27-YEAR CAREER...

I have a total of 27 years of professional experience in the Council of Europe. I have in particular worked for 21 years with and for parliamentarians from all over Europe in the Assembly.

During the last 13 years, I have led the Secretariats of the Monitoring and then Political Affairs and Democracy committees. I provided advice to four successive Secretaries General of the Assembly, numerous committee Chairpersons and Presidents of the Assembly.

I have also acquired solid experience in intergovernmental co-operation having worked for the Committee of Ministers monitoring procedure at the Directorate of Strategic Planning (DSP). Along with strong team management skills, I developed my experience in human resources management as Human Resources Correspondent for the whole DSP.

...FOLLOWING A PhD IN LAW

I am a Doctor in Law, holding a PhD on the European Convention of Human Rights from the European University Institute (EUI, Florence, Italy). I started my career at the European Commission of Human Rights.

I am of Greek nationality. My family has roots in Asia Minor, more precisely from the old city of Sinop, on Turkey's Black Sea coast. My husband is French and Greek. My two children are born in Strasbourg.

MY EXPERIENCE

Career in the Council of Europe (1994-present)

despina.chatzi@orange.fr

+33 608 09 93 46

Parliamentary Assembly

Political Affairs and Democracy Committee

Head of the Secretariat (2010-present)

Secretary of the Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau of the Assembly on the Role and Mission of the Assembly (first half of 2018)

Co-Secretary (1994-1995)

Monitoring Committee

Secretary and, as of January 2008, Acting Head of the Secretariat (2006-2009)

Co-secretary (1997-2000)

Legal Affairs Committee

Co-Secretary (1996-1997)

Intergovernemental Sector

Monitoring Department

Directorate of Strategic Planning

Deputy and, as of April 2005, Acting Head, responsible for the monitoring procedure of the Committee of Ministers (2000-2006)

Human Resources Correspondent for the Directorate

European Commission of Human Rights

Lawyer (Sept. 1993-Feb. 1994)

Previous work experience (1988-1993)

European University Institute (EUI)

Florence, Italy

Research Assistant, for Professor Antonio Cassese, former President of the CPT and of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (1992-1993)

Law firm A. Chiotellis-I. Yannidis

Athens, Greece

Trainer lawyer (1988-1989) ; as of 1994, member of the Athens Bar Association

Criminal Law Review Poenika Chronika

Member of the editorial board (1986-1993)

Athens, Greece

Apollonion Musical School

Professor of classical guitar (1984-1988)

EDUCATION

European University Institute (EUI)

Florence, Italy

Doctor juris - PhD thesis on "Pre-trial Deprivation of Liberty under the European Convention on Human Rights : a critical anlaysis of the Strasbourg case-law", under the supervision of Professor Antonio Cassese and Professor Stefan Trechsel, graduated with Honors (summa cum laude) in 1994, following four years of research fellowship

Law School

Gratuated with Honors (top of the year) in 1988

University of Athens, Greece

Secundary Education

Scuola Italiana d'Atene and Anavrita

MAIN PUBLICATIONS

Revue universelle des droits de l'homme

1996, vol. 8, n° 8-9, pp. 269-286

Together with Heinrich Klebes, "Problèmes d'ordre constitutionnel dans le processus d'adhésion d'Etats de l'Europe centrale et orientale au Conseil de l'Europe"