EU appoints Luigi di Maio Special Representative for the Gulf region
Diplomat Times (ROME)- Today the Council appointed Luigi di Maio as EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the Gulf region.
The tasks of the new EU Special Representative will be to further develop a stronger, comprehensive and more strategic EU partnership with the countries in the Gulf region by supporting the High Representative in the implementation of the foreign policy and security aspects of the EU joint communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf of 18 May 2022 and the related Council conclusions of 20 June 2022.
The EUSR will seek best ways to contribute to the stability and security of the region by engaging and supporting dialogue and long-term regional solutions with individual Gulf partners and relevant regional organisations.
He will equally support and cooperate with the Council and the European Commission to help ensure the consistency of the EU’s external action in the region, and contribute to increase the visibility and understanding of the role of the EU.
Mr. Di Maio will take up his duties on 1 June, with an initial mandate of 21 months.
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Mr. Di Maio served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy from 2019 to 2022. He held previously the positions of Deputy Prime-Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies and Member of the European Union Affairs Committee in the 17th Italian legislature.
.@EUCouncil appoints former Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio as the EU’s first Special Representative for the Gulf to promote relations with countries in the region and contribute to its stability and security through dialogue and long-term regional solutions.
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— EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) May 15, 2023
EU Special Representatives are proposed by the High Representative to promote the EU’s policies and interests in specific regions and countries, and provide the EU with an active political presence in those areas.
Currently, ten EUSRs support the work of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.