Diplomat Silvio Gonzato has been nominated as the European Union Ambassador to Tirana.
Gonzato was nominated for this position by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on November 27.
In the announcement from the European Union Diplomatic Service, it is emphasized that Gonzato will be officially appointed on December 1, 2023.
Gonzato began his career in the EU in 1988. Until recently, he has been the Ambassador and Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in New York.
He has previously served as the Director for Human Rights and Democracy in the European External Action Service (EEAS). In this capacity, he was responsible for organizing and overseeing all dialogues and consultations on Human Rights between the EU and partner countries (over 40 of them), developing policy guidelines and instructions for 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 Interinstitutional Relations, Policy Coordination, and Public Diplomacy at EEAS. His responsibilities covered relations with all EU institutions and EEAS representation in negotiations with institutional or legal implications, including sanctions.
He was responsible for coordinating all political and legislative files and preparing Foreign Affairs Council meetings. He was also in charge of public diplomacy activities (including promoting cultural issues in EU foreign relations) and strategic communication matters. In this context, he oversaw the EEAS communication strategy, including activities aimed at combating information manipulation from foreign sources.