Maria Gafo
She has a long experience in the European Commission where she has worked on energy, environment, forestry and agricultural policies. A few years ago, she coordinated the EU Forestry Strategy. She is currently Deputy Head of Unit responsible for social inclusion in rural areas, broadband access and various rural development programmes in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. Maria's Unit follows social issues in our rural areas, such as depopulation, equality, immigration or human rights. She has recently participated in the elaboration of the long-term vision for rural areas.
María holds a PhD in Forestry Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. She completed her studies at the Universities of Wageningen (The Netherlands) and Debrecen (Hungary). She also holds a diploma in European studies from the Diplomatic School.
Before joining the European Commission, María was a consultant at Arthur Andersen-Garrigues and participated in several development projects in Mexico, Ecuador and Paraguay with the NGO "Solidarios para el Desarrollo".
