Marija Pejčinović Burić (Croatia) began her position as Secretary General of the Council of Europe on 18 September, after being elected in June 2019 by the Parliamentary Assembly for a five-year mandate. She is the second woman in this position after the French Catherine Lalumière (1989-1994) and succeeds Thorbjørn Jagland (Norway) as head of the Organisation since 2009.