Ambassador-Designate Eichhorst was nominated by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as EU ambassador and head of delegation to Egypt and to the League of Arab States in April 2024.

She succeeds Ambassador Christian Berger.

Eichhorst, a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East, has previously served as EU ambassador to Lebanon and head of political and economic affairs at the EU delegation to Syria, the statement added.

Most recently, she served as the managing director for Europe at the European External Action Service.

She previously served as the chief negotiator in the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.

As the new EU ambassador-designate, Eichhorst will work to solidify the strategic partnership between the EU and Egypt, building upon the comprehensive and strategic partnership signed in March 2024.

Eichhorst expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve as the new EU ambassador in Cairo.

“I am honoured to take on this responsibility at such a critical time,” Eichhorst said.

“My engagement with Egypt and the Arab world has grown over time, beginning in the late 1980s when I started my academic and professional career in Cairo," she added.

“I look forward to working closely with our Egyptian partners to further promote and strengthen EU-Egypt relations for a mutually beneficial partnership,” she concluded.

Eichhorst will formally assume her duties upon presenting credentials to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Who is Eichhorst?
 

Before her appointment in Egypt in 2024, she was managing director for Europe at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels from 2020 to 2024.

In this role, she was responsible for strategic engagement across Europe, following a tenure as managing director for Europe and Central Asia from 2019 to 2020.

From 2015 to 2019, Eichhorst was deputy managing director and director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, and Turkey. According to the statement, she played “a pivotal role” as chief negotiator in the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. 

Moreover, her diplomatic career includes her role as EU ambassador to Lebanon (2011–2015) and as head of political and economic affairs at the EU delegation in Syria from 2008 to 2010.

Earlier, from 2004 to 2008, she led development and regional cooperation initiatives for the EU delegation in Jordan.

She also held policy-advising positions within the European Commission’s Directorate General for Development and Directorate General for External Relations, covering human and social development and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

She also worked with the United Nations and Save the Children.