Mr. Haitze Siemers, Head of Unit “New energy technologies, innovation and clean coal”, DG Energy, has been working for the European Commission since 1993. He started his career on EU-Japan relations, both in Brussels and in Tokyo, followed by work in trade policy leading in particular the development of the European Commission's trade policy dialogue with civil society. After a stint in consumer policy, Mr. Siemers joined the team developing a blueprint for Europe’s Maritime Policy. From 2008 to 2018, Mr. Siemers led a number of different teams in DG MARE on the development of Blue Growth strategies, EU legislation on Maritime Spatial Planning, the EU’s International Ocean Governance Strategy, and innovation, research and investments. As of June 2018, Mr. Siemers took on his current function at the helm of Unit C2 in DG ENER.