The new directorate would be placed within the EU executive’s DG NEAR, which oversees EU enlargement and the bloc’s relations with its near neighbourhood. The EU’s current ambassador to Kyiv, Estonian diplomat Matti Maasikas has been in office since 2019. Responsible for EU affairs in her current role and a sanctions expert, Neliupšienė has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine. The current EU ambassador to Washington, Stavros Lambrinidis, has been nominated to move to New York and become the bloc’s ambassador to the United Nations, according to the internal note. Other notable appointments include Nicola Orlando, an Italian diplomat, who will take over as EU ambassador to Libya, at a time when Giorgio Meloni’s government in Rome is seeking to step up cooperation on migration control with the North African state.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 19, 2023 22:48 UTC