Ms. Barbara Kauffmann is Director for employment and social governance in the Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Her responsibilities include analysis and coordination of employment and social aspects of the European semester, incl. the European Pillar of Social Rights, social dialogue, as well as financial support to Greece and Cyprus through the European Social Fund. She joined the Commission (DG Economic and Financial Affairs) in 1991 where she was in charge of macro program implementation and coordinated EU economic and fiscal policy surveillance. Previously she worked at the Kiel Institute of World Economics and German Ministry of Finance. Ms. Kauffmann studied economics at the University of Heidelberg and the University of Florida (Ph.D.).