The newly appointed ambassador of the European Union in Albania, Silvio Gonzato, submitted his credentials this Thursday to the President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj.
In the first reaction made on the “X” network, Gonzato expressed his excitement about the beginning of his mandate in Tirana.
The EU ambassador underlines the possibility of Albania’s integration into the EU, following the progress and reforms made so far.
“Excited to start my mandate in Tirana as the new EU ambassador. We have a unique opportunity to further integrate Albania into it, consolidating the progress achieved so far and pursuing the necessary reforms to make this country more prosperous, more modern and more inclusive”, writes Gonzato in “X”.
Gonzato started his career in the EU in 1988. Until recently, he was Ambassador, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in New York.
He was previously Director for Human Rights and Democracy at the European External Action Service (EEAS). In this capacity, he was responsible for the organization and content of all HR-related dialogues and consultations between the EU and partner countries (over 40 of them), developing policy guidelines and guidance for bilateral and multilateral EU delegations on issues related to HR and Democracy Support. He was also responsible for election observation activities.
In September 2015 he was appointed Director for Inter-institutional Relations, Policy Coordination and Public Diplomacy at the EEAS. His responsibilities covered relations with all EU institutions and the representation of the EEAS in negotiations that have institutional or legal implications, including sanctions.
He was responsible for coordinating all political and legislative files and preparing the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council. He was also responsible for public diplomacy activities (including the promotion of cultural issues in the EU’s external relations), strategic communication issues.
In this context he oversaw the EEAS communication strategy, including activities aimed at combating the manipulation of information from foreign sources.
