Mrs Battaini-Dragoni has served as the Council of Europe’s Deputy Secretary General since 2012 and was re-elected in June 2015. She oversees the implementation of the Secretary General’s reform agenda, in line with the decisions and priorities of the Committee of Ministers.

Her priorities include shaping the Programme and Budget to guarantee member States value for money, while ensuring that the Organisation’s activities have maximum impact in advancing democracy, human rights and the rule of law. She also oversees the Council of Europe’s staff policy.

Before taking up her post, Mrs Battaini-Dragoni held a number of positions within the Organisation.

In 2001 she became the first female Director General in the Organisation’s history, in charge of Social Cohesion.

Between 2004-2011, she served as Director General of Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sport, introducing new and innovative programmes on democratic citizenship, intercultural learning and human rights to schools, youth projects and other cultural spaces.

In 2011 Mrs Battaini-Dragoni established the Directorate General of Programmes (ODG-PROG), enabling greater decentralisation of activities to the field. Under her leadership a new system was created to mobilise extra-budgetary resources in a sustainable and long-term perspective.

Mrs Battaini-Dragoni has published widely on a range of issues relating to the Council of Europe’s mission, including social rights and the role of intercultural dialogue in modern democracies.

She holds a degree in foreign languages and literature from the University of Venice and a diploma from the Institut Européen des Hautes Etudes Internationales, University of Nice. She was born in Brescia, Italy and is married with three children.