Merete Clausen is Deputy Chief Executive of the European Investment Fund (EIF), a position she assumed in January 2025. In this role, she contributes to the strategic leadership of the EIF, which is part of the European Investment Bank Group and plays a central role in improving access to finance for European small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation and investment across the EU.
Before joining the EIF, Ms. Clausen held several senior positions at the European Commission. Most recently, she served as Director for Investment in the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), where she oversaw policies and financial instruments aimed at supporting investment in Europe’s industrial ecosystems and facilitating the green and technological transitions.
Earlier in her career at the Commission, she worked in the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), holding various Head of Unit roles focused on financing for innovation, competitiveness and cooperation with international financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. She also contributed to the development of EU investment instruments, including initiatives linked to the European Fund for Strategic Investments.
Prior to joining the European Commission, Ms. Clausen worked as a lawyer-linguist at the Court of Justice of the European Union and practised EU and competition law in private practice in Denmark. She began her legal career as an assistant attorney-at-law at Kammeradvokaten, the legal adviser to the Danish Government.
Ms. Clausen holds a Master’s degree in Law from Aarhus University in Denmark.
