Since January 2024, Normunds Popens is the Deputy Director General in the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.
From 2011, Normunds Popens has been the Deputy Director General for Implementation in the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission and in charge of overseeing the implementation of structural and cohesion fund programmes in EU member states and candidate countries.
Before joining the European Commission in March 2011 he has occupied several posts in the Latvian diplomatic services.
Notably from 2007 until 2011, he was a Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU.
Before that he dealt with European affairs as Undersecretary of State of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has been also responsible for the issues of foreign trade and transatlantic relations and has worked as an Ambassador in Norway, Iceland and in the USA as a diplomat.