Damian Jaworski will become the Executive Director of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). His appointment was approved by the European Parliament on 17 December 2025. The five-year term of the EIOPA Executive Director will officially begin on 1 April 2026. According to Polish Members of the European Parliament, this marks another step toward strengthening Poland’s position within the EU’s financial supervision framework.
“EIOPA is one of the bodies overseeing financial markets—in this case, the insurance and pension fund markets. In the European Union, financial supervision is sector-based. In Poland, by contrast, it is integrated, as there is a single authority—the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF)—responsible for overseeing all segments of the financial market: banking, insurance, pensions, and capital markets. EIOPA is therefore a very important supervisory body,” Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, a Member of the European Parliament from the Civic Coalition, told Newseria.
EIOPA, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, was established in 2011 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the European System of Financial Supervision and operates as an independent advisory body to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union. Its primary mission is to support the stability of the financial system and confidence in insurance and pension markets, ensure transparency of markets and financial products, and protect policyholders and members of occupational pension schemes.
The position of Executive Director is among the most senior roles within EIOPA’s organizational structure. The Executive Director is responsible for the authority’s day-to-day management and for implementing its annual and multiannual work programs.
“The Executive Director must above all be substantively well prepared and capable of leading EIOPA. Secondly, they must possess strong soft skills that enable effective cooperation with the European Parliament, its committees, and other institutions,” Gronkiewicz-Waltz said.
Damian Jaworski was nominated for the position of Executive Director by EIOPA’s Board of Supervisors in October 2025. During the selection process, candidates were assessed on their management skills, professional experience, and specialist knowledge related to EIOPA’s role as a regulatory and supervisory authority in the financial market.
“Damian Jaworski received an overwhelming number of votes—44 in total, with only a handful abstentions or votes against. I believe his extensive expertise, strong communication skills, and fluent English were decisive. People working in economics, finance, and insurance already knew him and he made a very strong impression,” the MEP said. “He is substantively well prepared and open to cooperation with the European Parliament.”
Currently, Damian Jaworski serves as Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Office of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (UKNF), which he joined in 2009. Prior to that, he spent five years in the foreign service as a financial attaché at Poland’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. The future EIOPA Executive Director is also a member of EIOPA’s Board of Supervisors. Representatives of the authority highlight his more than 30 years of experience in financial regulation and supervision at national, European, and international levels.
“Every strong appointment strengthens Poland’s position in Europe—just as in the past with Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, Janusz Lewandowski as a European Commissioner, Danuta Hübner, and many others,” Gronkiewicz-Waltz emphasized.
Damian Jaworski will assume his new role on 1 April 2026, succeeding Fausto Parente, who served as Executive Director for two terms. Prior to holding that position, Parente was Director of the Regulation and Supervisory Policy Directorate at Italy’s insurance supervisory authority (IVASS).
“From the new Executive Director, we should primarily expect diligent work and the effective preparation and implementation of regulations. The reality is that while we pass regulations, they are often prepared by substantive bodies—for example, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority drafts legislation, even though the formal legislative initiative lies solely with the Minister of Finance. Cooperation with other institutions is therefore crucial,” the Civic Coalition MEP concluded.
