Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Last updated
Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Washington Park Building.JPG
Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Address2175 K Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°54′9.86″N77°02′55.09″W / 38.9027389°N 77.0486361°W / 38.9027389; -77.0486361

The Delegation of the European Union to the United States represents the European Union in the United States, working in coordination with the diplomatic and consular missions of all the EU Member States. It is located at 2175 K Street, N.W., in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Contents

Since March 2019, the Ambassador of the EU Delegation is Stavros Lambrinidis. [1] In April 2023, the Lithuanian diplomat Jovita Neliupšienė was announced as the next Ambassador, taking up duties in January 2024. [2]

Role

The Delegation of the European Union presents and explains EU policy to both the U.S. administration and Congress. The Delegation also analyzes and reports on the political, social, and economic situation in the U.S., and acts as a liaison with other international organizations in Washington, D.C. Through its engagement with political actors, the media, academia, business circles, and civil society, the Delegation raises awareness of EU issues and concerns, and promotes the EU-U.S. relationship among the broader American public. [3]

The Delegation represents the EU in matters where the Member States have agreed that their interests be represented collectively, for example, in areas of customs and trade. In contrast, the Embassy of each EU Member State represents the bilateral interests of that nation in its dealings with the U.S. government, and in areas that are not under specific EU jurisdiction. All consular affairs are dealt with by individual Member States. [4] The Delegation also sponsors the European Union Centers of Excellence, a network of university programs dedicated to the study of the EU.

History

The European Union has had a permanent presence in Washington, D.C. since 1954, which served as the EU's first overseas representation. Since 1964, the EU has also maintained an office in New York, which now serves as the EU Delegation to the United Nations. [5]

Precedence

At diplomatic events, the EU ambassadorship previously followed national ambassadorships; i.e., it sat "on par with the African Union", which is also not a country. [6] [7] In 2016, the Obama administration promoted the EU precedence to country-level (but only the Europeans, and not any other non-nations). In 2018, the Department of State returned the EU ambassadorship to non-country level, "back alongside the African Union." [8] [9] Jan Ehler, from Germany, Chairman of the EU parliamentary Delegation for Relations with the United States, complained of the EU being relegated to "the bottom of the list." [10] In March 2019, the Department of State restored the diplomatic status of the European Union back to the pre-2018 status reflecting the EU's status "as equivalent to that of a bilateral mission in the Diplomatic Corps Order of Precedence." [11]

Ambassadors

Dries van Agt, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 1 January 1989 until 1 April 1995. Dries van Agt 1980.jpg
Dries van Agt, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 1 January 1989 until 1 April 1995.

Among the Delegation's former Ambassadors, three also served as their country's prime minister: Jens Otto Krag, Dries van Agt, and John Bruton, and one as their country’s foreign minister: Stavros Lambrinidis

Embassy Sections

Head/Deputy Head of Delegation

Administration

Economic & Financial Affairs

Food Safety, Health & Consumer Affairs

Political, Security & Development

Press & Public Diplomacy

Science, Technology & Education

Trade & Agriculture

Transport, Energy, Environment & Nuclear Matters

Staff

Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. In this capacity, he represents European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel, under the authority of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. As of 2011, the Delegation has approximately 80 permanent staff members, including 30 officials.

Building

On September 29, 2010, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton inaugurated the current EU Delegation to the United States. [13] The Delegation building was granted LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomatic mission</span> Representatives of one state in another

A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes an embassy or high commission, which is the main office of a country's diplomatic representatives to another country; it is usually, but not necessarily, based in the receiving state's capital city. Consulates, on the other hand, are smaller diplomatic missions that are normally located in major cities of the receiving state. As well as being a diplomatic mission to the country in which it is situated, an embassy may also be a nonresident permanent mission to one or more other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Uzbekistan</span> Overview of the foreign relations of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991. However, it is opposed to reintegration and withdrew from the CIS collective security arrangement in 1999. Since that time, Uzbekistan has participated in the CIS peacekeeping force in Tajikistan and in United Nations-organized groups to help solve the Tajik and Afghan conflicts, both of which it sees as posing threats to its own stability. Uzbekistan is an active supporter of U.S. efforts against worldwide terrorism and joined the coalitions which have dealt with both Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a member of the United Nations, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Partnership for Peace, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It belongs to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Economic Cooperation Organization, which comprises 7 Central Asian countries: Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It is a founding member of and remains involved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in March 1998 by Tajikistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambassadors of the United States</span> United States diplomatic position

Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, their appointment must be confirmed by the United States Senate; while an ambassador may be appointed during a recess, they can serve only until the end of the next session of Congress, unless subsequently confirmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stavros Lambrinidis</span> Greek lawyer and politician

Stavros Lambrinidis is a Greek lawyer and politician who was been the ambassador of the European Union to the United States from March 2019 until December 2023. He was previously the European Union special representative for human rights from 2012 to 2019 and Minister for Foreign Affairs in Greece from June 2011 to November 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the European Union</span> Relations between the European Union and other countries

Although there has been a large degree of integration between European Union member states, foreign relations is still a largely intergovernmental matter, with the 27 states controlling their own relations to a large degree. However, with the Union holding more weight as a single entity, there are at times attempts to speak with one voice, notably on trade and energy matters. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy personifies this role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between the European Union and the United States began in 1953, when US diplomats visited the European Coal and Steel Community in addition to the national governments of its six founding countries. The two parties share a good relationship which is strengthened by NATO, cooperation on trade, and shared values.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomatic missions of the European Union</span> EU diplomatic missions

The member states of the European Union are aligned in their foreign policy on many issues. The EU is the world's largest economic union, customs union and donor of humanitarian and development assistance and thus has an extensive network of delegations around the world mainly operating in the framework of External Relations, for which the European Commission is the main decision body. The EU also represents shared political and security viewpoints held by its member states, as articulated in the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European External Action Service</span> Diplomatic service and combined foreign and defence ministry of the European Union

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the diplomatic service and combined foreign and defence ministry of the European Union (EU). The EEAS is led by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP), who is also President of the Foreign Affairs Council and vice-president of the European Commission, and carries out the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

The Holy See has long been recognised as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. One observer has stated that its interaction with the world has, in the period since World War II, been at its highest level ever. It is distinct from the city-state of the Vatican City, over which the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction".

A de facto embassy is an office or organisation that serves de facto as an embassy in the absence of normal or official diplomatic relations among countries, usually to represent nations which lack full diplomatic recognition, regions or dependencies of countries, or territories over which sovereignty is disputed. In some cases, diplomatic immunity and extraterritoriality may be granted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestine–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Political relations between the State of Palestine and the United States have been complex and strained since the 1960s. While the U.S. does not recognize the State of Palestine, it recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative entity for the Palestinian people; following the Oslo Accords, it recognized the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate Palestinian government of the Palestinian territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Mission to the United Nations</span> United States delegation

The United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) serves as the United States' delegation to the United Nations. USUN is responsible for carrying out the nation's participation in the world body. In 1947, the United States Mission was created by an act of Congress to assist the President and the Department of State in conducting United States policy at the United Nations. Since that time, USUN has served a vital role as the Department of State's UN branch. Today, USUN has approximately 150 people on staff who serve to represent the United States’ political, economic and social, legal, military, public diplomacy, and management interests at the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Parliament Liaison Office with the US Congress</span>

The European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington DC (EPLO) is the US office of the European Parliament (EP) responsible for developing relationships between the US Congress and the European Parliament on issues calling for trans-Atlantic legislative and political cooperation. It attempts to build a trans-Atlantic network of legislators and legislative staffers focused on issues of mutual concern. Former European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek inaugurated the office on April 29, 2010. EPLO is the only European Parliament office outside the European Union, residing at 2175 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.

The United States Mission to the European Union (USEU) is the diplomatic mission of the United States to the European Union; it is based in Brussels, Belgium. The US has maintained diplomatic relations with the EU and its predecessors since 1953. The first predecessor of the current mission was the US diplomatic mission to the European Coal and Steel Community in Luxembourg, which opened in 1956. In 1961, the US Mission to the European Communities was established in Brussels, which later became the United States Mission to the European Union, upon the latter's establishment in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Željana Zovko</span> Croatian politician (born 1970)

Željana Zovko is a Herzegovinian Croat diplomat and politician. Since 2016, she has been serving as a member of the European Parliament from Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. Patrick Murphy</span> American diplomat (born 1963)

W. Patrick Murphy is a career U.S. diplomat. A Senior Foreign Service Officer, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2018 to 2019, fulfilling the duties of Acting Assistant Secretary, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia and Multilateral Affairs, 2016–2018. He previously served as Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission in the Kingdoms of Thailand and Lesotho. He was nominated on January 16, 2019 to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somaliland–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Somaliland and the United States do not have official diplomatic relations. While Somaliland operates a representative liaison office in Washington, D.C., it does not have formal diplomatic status under the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Both countries do maintain contact as delegations from both sides have met in the past.

References

  1. ↑ Immediate Change to the EU Delegation to the United States’ Protocol Status Retrieved 4 March 2019
  2. ↑ "EU taps Lithuanian diplomat as US ambassador". POLITICO. 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  3. ↑ The European Union Delegation to the United States: [ permanent dead link ] Retrieved 7 June 2011
  4. ↑ The European Union Delegation to the United States: Archived 2011-04-23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 7 June 2011
  5. ↑ The European Union Delegation to the United States: Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 7 June 2011
  6. ↑ "EU puzzled by downgrade of its ambassador to Washington". EURACTIV . 8 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019. As a representative of an "international organisation", he is on par with the African Union Ambassador to Washington, Arikana Chihombori Quao.
  7. ↑ ANIELLA CHESLOW; JACKIE NORTHAM (9 January 2018). "'They Conveniently Forgot To Notify Us': EU Diplomat Downgraded In D.C." National Public Radio – NPR. Retrieved 10 January 2019. O'Sullivan has been listed as the head of an international organization, along with the African Union.
  8. ↑ Michael Birnbaum; John Hudson (8 January 2018). "The Trump administration downgraded the E.U. ambassador — and didn't tell him". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 January 2019. No longer will the European Union be as exalted as equivalent to a country. Instead it will be back alongside the African Union
  9. ↑ Michael Knigge (8 January 2019). "Trump administration downgrades EU mission to US". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 10 January 2019. the bloc ambassador's status in Washington was upgraded to the level of a nation-state ambassador in September 2016, after a lengthy and intensive process by the State Department under former President Barack Obama.
  10. ↑ "EU lawmakers decry Washington downgrading of EU ambassador". Deutsche Welle. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019. had been relegated to "the bottom of the list," wrote German Christian Democrat Christian Ehler, the delegation's chairman
  11. ↑ Emma Anderson (2019-03-04). "US bumps EU diplomatic status back up after downgrade". POLITICO. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  12. ↑ The European Union Delegation to the United States: Retrieved 7 June 2011
  13. ↑ Wikipedia High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Retrieved 10 June 2011
  14. ↑ The European Union Delegation to the United States: Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 7 June 2011
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.