Brussels, 7 June 2022
The European Commission has decided today to appoint Peteris Ustubs as Director for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).
This Commission department contributes to sustainable development, the eradication of poverty, to peace and to the protection of human rights, through international partnerships that uphold and promote European values and interests. Peteris Ustubs, a Latvian national, brings with him his extensive knowledge and expertise in the area of external relations, including a high-level diplomatic background, a sound political judgement as well as strategic planning for the activities of the Directorate.
He is currently Principal Advisor in IDEA, the think-thank of the Commission, after having served as Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Commission in the same organisation. From 2017 until 2019, he was Ambassador of the European Union to Canada. In earlier stages of his career, he occupied a number of key positions in the Cabinets as Cabinet expert for the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini from 2014 until 2017 or as Deputy Head of Cabinet for Commissioner for development Andris Piebalgs from 2010 until 2013. He was also Director for the West and Central Africa in the European External Action Service (EEAS) from 2013 until 2014. Before joining the Commission in 2010, he pursued a long career in the Latvian diplomacy.