Gauthier Pierens, a brilliant and trusted lawyer of the European Commission, committed suicide last Friday, December 4, a little before 11 am. Pierens jumped from the window of his office, at the second floor of European Commission’s Breydel building, at 45 Avenue d’Auderghem, in Brussels, Belgium.

The reasons behind his suicide are currently unknown.

Colleagues working with Pierens told New Europe on the condition of anonymity that Pierens had been expecting, after more than two decades of service, to be promoted from Deputy Head of Unit to Head of Unit. Instead, Pierens was demoted to Desk Officer.

According to the same sources, Pierens was clear and uncompromising in his duties, behaving solely as a jurist. Colleagues told New Europe that Pierens was unwilling to make compromises necessary to elevate his career.

As Deputy Head of Unit, Pierens opposed the political compromises suggested by a strong Member State in the legislation providing for the concession of highways. Without being said that his demotion was due to his strong attitude over the matter, he was moved as a Desk Officer to the Space Unit of DG GROW, dealing with the assignment of the launching of the Galileo satellites, to Soyuz.

A little after 10 am on Friday, Pierens was waiting in the anteroom of his office with his assistant, for his boss to finish her meeting and to go together to the Deputy Director-General for another meeting. When she stepped out of the meeting, Pierens rushed to his room, locked the door behind him. His assistant began to understand that Pierens had opened the window and started to climb on the ledge and started to scream, “no, Gauthier, don’t do it…”. A few moments later, Pierens jumped, ending his life.

The Commission was immediately mobilised. His Director did not let the Belgian Police inform his family but went personally to meet his wife who could not be reached immediately.

Elzbieta Bienkowska, the Commissioner for Growth was not on scene and communicated about the situation by SMS messages.

On the contrary, from the first moment Vice-President responsible for Personnel, Kristalina Georgieva went on to the Breydel building and took control of the situation, speaking to all staff and giving a human response in such an emotionally charged situation.

In cases of suicide, when occurring at the place of work, the suicide itself is often work related.

Regardless of whether there is a link or not to his suicide, it is perhaps worth examining the dossiers Pierens was working on before and after the time of his demotion.

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