The Italian diplomat Sem Fabrizi, currently EU ambassador to Australia, will be moved to Serbia managing links to a country at the heart of the increasingly fragile Western Balkans.
Fabrizi, who sources said enjoys a huge trust of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, will have a critical role to play in monitoring both regional tensions and Serbia’s bid to join the EU.
Mogherini has nominated 43 new ambassadors to the bloc’s embassies around the world, according to an internal list seen by POLITICO.
The appointments, which now require the approval of national governments, involve the rotation of the top diplomats in nearly one-third of the EU’s 139 delegations around the world. The appointments are concentrated in Latin America and Africa, and include five G20 countries: Russia, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Argentina.
Tanjug reported two months ago that Fabrizi was the most likely candidate for the position of the head of the EU delegation to Belgrade.
The election procedure is still in progress, and the decision of the European External Action Service on the elected candidate will be confirmed at a meeting of all commissioners of the European Commission.
Sem Fabrizi was born in Italy, where he completed international law and international economics studies at the Sapienza University of Rome. He continued his education at the post-graduate studies in diplomacy at the LUISS University of Rome.
He has had a rich diplomatic career, during which he was the adviser for international relations to the president of the European Council. Before going to Brussels, he worked at the staff of the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi as the adviser for energy and climate changes.
Fabrizi also held diplomatic positions at the permanent mission of Italy to the World Trade Organization and the Embassy of Italy in Beijing.
In 2013, the then High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, appointed Fabrizi as the Head of EU Delegation to Australia and New Zealand.
(Politico, eKapija, 09.05.2017)
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