Janez Potočnik (pronounced {{IPA|sl|ˈjaːnɛs pɔˈtɔtʃnik|}}; born 22 March 1958) is a Slovenian politician who served as European Commissioner for Environment from 2009 until 2014. He was formerly Slovenia's Minister for European Affairs.

In November 2014, he became co-chair of the International Resource Panel (IRP), a forum of scientists and experts working on natural resources management.

Biography

Janez Potočnik was born on 22 March 1958 in Kropa, SR Slovenia. His father Stojan was innkeeper and his mother Lojzka was a school teacher. He has one sibling, a brother seven years older named Lojz. After finishing elementary school in Lipnica, Potočnik attended high school in Kranj, where he was also active in sports, notably in basketball and track and field. After high school he moved to Ljubljana, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Ljubljana in 1982.{{cite web|url=https://www.mladina.si/96566/janez-potocnik|title=Janez Potočnik |author=Matos, Urša|date=7 March 2004|website=mladina.si|publisher=Mladina|access-date=10 July 2019}}

Early career

Potočnik served as assistant director (1984–1987) and director (1993–2001) at the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development in Ljubljana. In 1993, he received his PhD in economics from the University of Ljubljana. Between 1988 and 1993, he was a senior researcher at the Institute for Economic Research in Ljubljana.

Political career

Potočnik was Minister Councillor at the Slovenian Prime Minister's Cabinet from 2001 to 2002 and Minister for European Affairs from 2002 to 2004. He headed the negotiating team for the Accession of Slovenia to the EU between 1998 and 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/GGSD%202018_Bio_Potocnik.pdf|title=Janez Potočnik|publisher=OECD|access-date=10 July 2019}}

In 2004 Potočnik became European Commissioner, since November responsible for science and research. On 27 November 2009 he was nominated to serve as European Commissioner for the Environment in the Barroso Commission.

While commissioner, Potočnik stated that he believes trading knowledge and the development of an information society to create prosperity is as important to Europe as trading steel and coal to create peace was 50 years ago. He aimed to develop the European Research Area.{{cite news|url=https://www.itpro.co.uk/news/109975/building-an-information-society-on-par-with-postwar-reconstruction-says-eu.html|title=Building an information society on par with post-war reconstruction, says EU|author=Nicole Kobie|date=12 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191211/https://www.itpro.co.uk/news/109975/building-an-information-society-on-par-with-postwar-reconstruction-says-eu.html|archive-date=27 September 2007|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

Later career

Since 2014, Potočnik has been co-chairing – alongside Alicia Bárcena (2014–2017) and Izabella Teixeira (since 2017) – the International Resource Panel at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);[https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/unep-welcomes-alicia-barcena-ibarra-new-co-chair-expert-panel UNEP Welcomes Alicia Bárcena Ibarra as New Co Chair of Expert Panel on Natural Resources] United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), press release of 8 June 2016. he succeeded Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker in that position.Dave Keating (11 November 2014), [https://www.politico.eu/article/potocnik-to-chair-un-resource-efficiency-panel/ Potočnik to chair UN resource efficiency panel] European Voice. Retrieved 10 July 2019. In 2020, he served on the advisory board of the annual Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), co-chaired by Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Michael Spence.[http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/2020-human-development-report-advisory-board-members 2020 Human Development Report Advisory Board Members] United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Since July 2020, he has also been serving as a special advisor on sustainability to European Commissioner for the Environment & Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.[https://ec.europa.eu/info/about-european-commission/service-standards-and-principles/transparency/special-advisers_en Non-institutional special advisers] European Commission.

Additional roles include:

ThinkForest Forum, President (since 2019){{cite news|url=https://www.efi.int/articles/janez-potocnik-becomes-new-thinkforest-president|title=Janez Potočnik becomes new ThinkForest president|access-date=10 July 2019}}
SytemiQ, Partner [https://www.systemiq.earth/our-team/]
SDG multi-stakeholder platform, hosted by European Commission, Member [https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/international-strategies/sustainable-development-goals/multi-stakeholder-platform-sdgs/platform-members_en]
Forum for the Future of Agriculture, Chairman (since 2014)[http://www.forumforagriculture.com/ffa-chairman/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504191523/http://www.forumforagriculture.com/ffa-chairman/ |date=4 May 2017 }}
Rural Investment for a Sustainable Europe (RISE) Foundation, Chairman (since 2014)[https://www.risefoundation.eu/about/board]
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), President of the long-term vision for the Balkans sub-region of the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot[https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/10061/2015/EN/10061-2015-2122-EN-F1-1.PDF Minutes of the 2122nd meeting of the Commission held in Brussels (Berlaymont) on 15 April 2015] European Commission.
'A vision for Europe towards sustainable and circular economy', Member of the Steering Committee[https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/10061/2015/EN/10061-2015-2122-EN-F1-1.PDF Minutes of the 2122nd meeting of the Commission held in Brussels (Berlaymont) on 15 April 2015] European Commission.James Panichi and Emmet Livingstone (October 28, 2015), [https://www.politico.eu/article/the-ex-files-former-commissioners-new-jobs/ The ex-files: Former commissioners’ new jobs] Politico Europe.

Recognition

=Honorary degrees=

2008 – Honorary doctorate in science from Imperial College London
2009 – Honorary doctorate from Ghent University
2016 – Honorary doctorate in Economics and Business Administration from Aalto University

=Awards=

2011 – Fray International Sustainability Award, awarded by the Fray International Symposium{{cite web|title=Dr Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Environment|url=https://www.flogen.org/?p=20&sp=1&bio=Potocnik|website=www.flogen.org|publisher=FLOGEN Star OUTREACH|access-date=10 July 2019}}
2013 – Champions of the Earth, awarded by the United Nations Environment Programme{{cite news|url=https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/european-environment-commissioner-receives-top-un-environment-award|title=European Environment Commissioner Receives Top UN Environment Award|date=18 September 2013|access-date=10 July 2019}}
2014 – ACER Award, awarded by the Catalan Association of Research Entities{{cite news|url=https://www.ibecbarcelona.eu/erc-promoters-honoured-with-first-acer-award/|title=ERC promoters honoured with first ACER Award|publisher=Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia|date=24 March 2014|access-date=10 July 2019}}
2014 – Twelve Stars for the Environment Award, awarded by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB){{cite web|url=http://www.2014.eebconference.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Rationale-Janez-Potocnik.pdf|title=Celebrating Environmental Excellence Winner 2014|publisher=European Environmental Bureau|access-date=10 July 2019|archive-date=4 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804010355/http://www.2014.eebconference.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Rationale-Janez-Potocnik.pdf|url-status=dead}}
2015 – Personality Trophy at the Circular Economy Competition, awarded by the Institute of Circular Economy in Paris
2015 – Hans-Carl-Von-Carlowitz Prize, awarded by Carlowitz company{{cite web|url=http://carlowitz-gesellschaft.de/nachhaltigkeitspreis/rueckblick-2015/|title=Rückblick 2015|trans-title=Review 2015|language=de|access-date=10 July 2019}}
2015 – Adam Smith Prize for Environmental Economic Policy, awarded by the Green Budget Germany{{cite news|url=https://green-budget.eu/2015-adam-smith-prize-presented-to-former-commissioner-janez-potocnik/|title=2015 Adam Smith Prize presented to former Commissioner Janez Potočnik|publisher=Green Budget|date=25 November 2015|access-date=10 July 2019}}

References

External links

{{commons category-inline|Janez Potočnik}}
[http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/2010/mediaGallery.cfm?&gallery=yes&sitelang=en#5801 Official Media Gallery]
[http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/potocnik/index_en.htm Official website]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20091222213533/http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/potocnik/ Janez Potočnik's blog]