Dirk H. Kranen is head of division in the European Department of the German Federal Ministery of Finance with more than 20 years of responsible management experience in the public and international sector. During his career Dirk Kranen served as personal assistant to German Federal Finance Minister Theo Waigel, he was speechwriter and economic advisor to German Federal President Horst Köhler, and worked as Senior Advisor in the International Monetary Fund and as Financial Counselor at the International Organizations in Geneva. The sovereign debt crisis and the stabilization of the eurozone are issues that remain at the center of European politics. Dirk H. Kranen works in the European Department of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin. As coordinator of relations with the German Bundestag, he was involved in the design of the parliamentary controls over the European Stability Mechanism. Currently he is responsible for the negotiations of the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Own Resources Mechanisms which will determine the expenditure and income situation of the EU in the coming financial period from 2014 to 2020. On account of his knowledge of the current European negotiations, Dirk H. Kranen can provide a firsthand look into the ongoing negotiation process. He can comment on the recent developments and future prospects of European monetary and fiscal policies. Decisions-makers in the financial sector value his insight into the current economic and financial problems. Dirk H. Kranen studied in Cologne and holds a Masters in Economics and Business Administration. He joined the German Federal Ministry of Finance in 1991. During his career he has also worked for the International Monetary Fund, the Permanent Mission of Germany to the International Organizations in Geneva and the German Federal President’s Office in Berlin. During the German G8 presidency, he organized a G8 High-level Meeting on Remittances. Since 2009 he has been head of several divisions in the European Department. He has had the privilege of being an eyewitness to many important recent steps in European integration particularly in the field of monetary and economic union. He has a detailed knowledge of current and former negotiations procedures. Besides Dirk H. Kranen has been lecturer at University of Applied Sciences HTW and the European School of Management and Technology ESMT in Berlin for several years. He lectures on the topics of Europe and International Management. He is a talented speaker who puts across the main points in an understandable manner. His speeches are popular and highly esteemed.