The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Union (EU), and all four member states participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area. They are not, however, party to the European Union Customs Union.
Stavros Lambrinidis is a Greek lawyer and politician who has served as the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States since March 2019. He previously served as the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights from 2012 to 2019 and Minister for Foreign Affairs from June 2011 to November 2011.
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 members controlling their own relations to a large degree. However, with the Union holding more weight as a single bloc, 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.
Alejandro Jara was a Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). He served in this position from 2005 to 2013. His career began in 1976 when he joined the Foreign Service of Chile to primarily focus on international economic relations. From 1979 to 1984, he served in the Delegation of Chile to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and was seconded to the Economic System for Latin America (SELA) in Caracas as Coordinator for Trade Policy Affairs. He was appointed Director for Bilateral Economic Affairs in 1993 and Director for Multilateral Economic Affairs in 1994. From 1996 to 1997, he was also Chile's senior official to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Deputy Chief Negotiator for the Chile-Canada Free Trade Agreement and Chile-Mexico Free Trade Agreement. In 1999, he was designated Director General for International Economic Relations. He was appointed in 2000 as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the World Trade Organization in Geneva. From 2000 to 2005 he held various diplomatic and ministerial positions, including Chairperson of the Committee on Trade and Environment of the WTO in 2001 and Chairman of the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services in 2002. He's written a variety of papers on international trade.
David O'Sullivan is a former Irish civil servant who served as the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2014 to 2019. Prior to his post in the United States, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the European Union's diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS). He has held a number of high level positions including Chief of Staff to Romano Prodi and Secretary-General of the European Commission between June 2000 and November 2005. From 2005 to 2010, he was Director General for Trade. In 2010 he was appointed as Director General for External Relations with the responsibility of setting up the EEAS and was appointed the Chief Operating Officer on 1 January 2011.
Zoran Jolevski is a Macedonian diplomat and the former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Defense, he served as Macedonia's Ambassador to the United States of America. In November 2008, he was appointed chief negotiator to the Macedonia naming dispute, and in 2011 he was appointed Ambassador to the United Mexican States and as Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States. He served as Secretary General of the late Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski from 2000–2004. He holds a Ph.D. in International Economy from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. He is married to Suzana Jolevska, and together they have two sons, Pero (1988) and Filip (1992).
Ulrike Lunacek is an Austrian politician who has been serving as State Secretary for Cultural Affairs in the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz since 2020. She is a member of the Austrian green party The Greens – The Green Alternative, part of the European Green Party.
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), 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).
Alain Le Roy is a French diplomat who served as Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) between 1 March 2015 and 31 August 2016. In this capacity, he was in charge of around 3,400 staff and around 140 delegations in non-EU countries. On 16 June 2016 he announced he would be resigning effective 1 September 2016, being replaced by Helga Schmid, who has been political director of the EEAS and as such, been involved in the Iran nuclear negotiations.
Samuel Žbogar is a Slovenian diplomat and politician who is the EU Special Representative in North Macedonia. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia from 2008 to 2012.
Thomas Mayr-Harting is an Austrian diplomat. He is the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process. From November 2015 to August 2019 he was Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia in the European External Action Service.
European Union–Kazakhstan relations are the international relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the common foreign policy and trade relations of the European Union.
Pakistan–European Union relations are the international relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the common foreign policy and trade relations of the European Union.
Edwin McCammon Martin worked for the government of the United States from 1935 to 1975, first as an economist, then on the mobilization of the US economy for World War II and then as a diplomat in the US and abroad.
The Republic of Korea and the European Union (EU) are important trade partners: Korea is the EU's ninth largest export market for goods, and the EU is Korea's third largest export destination. The two have signed a free trade agreement which came into effect at end of 2011. Furthermore, South Korea is the only country in the world with the three agreements covering economics, politics and security in effect as of 2020.
Claude Rijmenans is a Belgian ambassador.
Jozef Šesták is a Slovak diplomat, expert on international negotiations in the field of foreign policy and diplomacy. His highest position: State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. His highest diplomatic rank: Ambassador.
Angelina Eichhorst is a Dutch civil servant, holding the position of Deputy Managing Director Europe and Central Asia / Director Western Europe, Western Balkans, and Turkey at the European External Action Service.
Vadym Volodymyrovych Prystaiko is a Ukrainian diplomat, and Ukraine's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom. He was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on 20 July 2020.
