Dr Micheal O'BRIAIN

Deputy Head of Nature Unit, European Commission

Dr. Micheal O'Briain is Deputy Head of the Nature Unit of DG Environment in the European Commission. He has worked on a wide range of nature and biodiversity policy issues since joining the Commission in 1992, including responsibility for overseeing implementation of the EU Birds Directive. He has been particularly involved in the establishment of NATURA 2000 under the Habitats Directive, coordinating work on financing and management of the network. He coordinated the Fitness Check evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directive and was actively involved in developing the follow-up EU action plan for nature. Prior to working in Brussels Micheal was national director of the Irish partner of BirdLife International. He is a graduate and former research associate of University College Dublin where he completed a PhD in zoology.