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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 11, 2008
President Bush Selects C. Boyden Gray as Special Envoy for European Union Affairs
President George W. Bush today announced that C. Boyden Gray will serve as Special Envoy for European Union Affairs. Gray served with distinction as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from January 2006 until his appointment expired on December 31, 2007. In order that the United States may continue to benefit from his experience and expertise at a time of great importance in U.S.-EU relations, the President has asked him to serve in this new role.
As Special Envoy, Gray will focus on a number of issues and special projects, as directed by the President and the Secretary of State. These will include strengthening the Transatlantic Economic Council, which he played a key role in developing and which is now a premier economic forum dedicated to deepening the U.S.-EU economic relationship; promoting European understanding of the Administration's climate change policies and assuring effective implementation of the numerous joint U.S.-EU cooperative actions to advance technology and reduce greenhouse gases; and working on selected energy security issues.
Prior to his appointment as Ambassador to the EU, Gray had a distinguished career in both government and the private sector, with decades of experience working on regulatory, environmental, and energy issues. He was Counsel to President Reagan's Task Force on Regulatory Relief, chaired by Vice President Bush, and a principal architect of the Clean Air Act of 1990, which initiated the use of alternative fuels to lower emissions and created the Acid Rain trading program, the model for Europe's climate change enforcement mechanism. He also served as White House Counsel to President George H.W. Bush from 1988 to 1993.
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