An Irishwoman will become the European Commission's top civil servant.
Catherine Day was announced yesterday as the next secretary general of the commission.
She will be the first woman to hold the post and will replace Irishman David O'Sullivan.
Ms Day moves from her post as head of the commission's directorate for environment to the top job on November 21st.
Mr O'Sullivan moves to the directorate for trade, an important portfolio given the continuing heated negotiations in the lead-up to the World Trade Organisation summit in Hong Kong next month.
The shake-up involved changes in eight of the director general and nine deputy director general posts as their terms came to an end. Commission vice-president Siim Kallas announced the changes, saying no posts had been earmarked for any member-states.
"We must envy Ireland as they have two good, able people. Posts are not earmarked so I can say the secretary general posts are not earmarked for Ireland but it is due to the capability of the people who are appointed," he said.
Mr O'Sullivan, who worked in the commission's trade office in Tokyo, said he was looking forward to the challenge of his new portfolio and to working with the trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson. "I think Peter Mandelson is doing a great job . . . he is a superb politician."
He said he saw no problem with the fact that he comes to the portfolio in the middle of negotiations ahead of the WTO summit: "There is never a perfect moment to make these changes and neither should one individual be overestimated, it's a team effort . . . Mr Mandelson is surrounded by many competent officials."
On Ms Day's appointment, Mr O'Sullivan said: "I am thrilled for Catherine and the country can also be very proud. It is the culmination of a fantastic career . . . she is very well respected around the commission."
The Taoiseach welcomed both appointments.
"The fact that one Irish citizen has succeeded another at the top of the commission is a testament to the high calibre of these officials and their years of distinguished service on behalf of the people of Europe," Mr Ahern said.
Eamonn Gallagher, former director general of the fisheries directorate, said the significance of the appointments was institutional rather than national.
"The fact that they are Irish is an added bonus but they are two very able people."
Other changes included the removal of Frenchman François Lamoureux as head of the commission's transport department, who is to be "put at the disposal of the president [ Barroso] who will determine a specific work assignment", while his compatriot Jean-Luc Demarty was appointed director general for agriculture.
Mogens Peter Carl from Denmark leaves his post as director general of trade to head up the environment directorate.
PROFILE: Catherine Day
Catherine Day (50) was appointed to the commission in 1979, previously working for the Investment Bank of Ireland and the Confederation of Irish Industry. In 1982 she was appointed to commissioner Dick Burke's cabinet and she subsequently served in the cabinets of Peter Sutherland, Leon Brittan and Chris Patten.
In 1999 she was appointed deputy head of the European Commission's directorate for external relations, in charge of relations with the Balkans, Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East and the states of the Mediterranean. She had previously worked on relations with former Yugoslavia and Turkey.
She was educated at Mount Anville, Dublin, and studied at UCD, where she received an MA in international trade in 1975. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the NUI in 2003.
PROFILE: David O'Sullivan
David O'Sullivan (51), from Dublin, was appointed secretary general in May 2000 by then European Commission president Romano Prodi, who stressed the appointment was a break with the tradition of appointing cabinets dominated by commissioners' fellow nationals. Mr O'Sullivan's rise through the commission saw him work for Peter Sutherland and Padraig Flynn. He also worked for the commission in its trade office in Tokyo.
He was educated at St Mary's College, Rathmines, Trinity College Dublin and the College of Europe in Bruges. He worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs before joining the commission in 1979. He is married to an architect, Agnes O'Hare, and they have two children.