Maltese diplomat Julian Vassallo has been nominated as Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, marking another milestone in an international career spanning diplomacy, European affairs and foreign policy.

The appointment was announced by the European External Action Service (EEAS) as part of a series of senior diplomatic nominations across the European Union’s global network of delegations.

Dr Vassallo currently serves as a Team Leader in the United Kingdom Division within the EEAS. Prior to this role, he served as Head of the Political, European Integration, Press and Information Section at the EU Delegation to North Macedonia, among several other positions within the European Union’s diplomatic service.

A lawyer by profession, Dr Vassallo began his career within Malta’s diplomatic service, serving at both Malta’s Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels and Malta’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

He later joined the office of former EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, where he worked on foreign policy and Mediterranean affairs before taking on the role of Head of the European Parliament Information Office in Malta.

Over the years, Dr Vassallo has built a reputation as one of Malta’s most accomplished European diplomats, combining experience in multilateral diplomacy, EU enlargement, foreign affairs and strategic communications.

His nomination comes at a particularly important time in EU-Serbia relations, with Serbia remaining a key candidate country in the European Union’s enlargement agenda and an important partner in the Western Balkans.

The Deputy Head of Delegation role forms part of the senior leadership team of the EU’s diplomatic mission in Belgrade, supporting political dialogue, cooperation programmes and relations between the European Union and Serbia.

Dr Vassallo’s appointment continues a long tradition of Maltese professionals serving in senior positions within European institutions and the EU’s diplomatic corps.