Nykredit’s Morten Bækmand Nielsen is set to become the new deputy chair of the European Covered Bond Council in the new year, while the industry body’s spring plenary is expected to be in Athens.

The ECBC’s steering committee voted for Nielsen, head of investor relations at Denmark’s Nykredit, to become deputy chair at a meeting in Berlin on Thursday. His appointment is now only subject to confirmation by the general assembly of the industry body.

The two year term of NIBC’s Niek Allon as chair of the ECBC ends at the turn of the year, after which current deputy Boudewijn Dierick of BNP Paribas will take over. By convention, the deputy chair goes on to become ECBC chair after a two year term.

The Berlin steering committee meeting came a day ahead of the European Council’s approval of the EU covered bond legislative package on Friday, and Luca Bertalot, secretary general of the EMF-ECBC, told The CBR he expects publication in the EU Official Journal in mid-December.

The ECBC’s implementation taskforce will be meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, while tomorrow (Tuesday) representatives of the industry body will be attending a European Commission conference on implementing Basel III.

“The ECBC is clearly focusing on the Basel implementation,” said Bertalot. “It’s a priority for the coming months, in parallel with the implementation of the covered bond file.”

Last Wednesday, the ECBC welcomed Alpha Bank AE as its second Greek member and, according to Bertalot, Athens is now being explored as the likely venue for its spring plenary in late April.