Stefano Sannino

Secretary-General, European External Action Service

Mr Stefano Sannino is the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the European Union since 1 January 2021. He held the post of the Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues at the EEAS from April 2020 to December 2021.

From March 2016 to April 2020, he was Ambassador of Italy to Spain and Andorra. From July 2013 until March 2016, he held the position of Permanent Representative of Italy to the EU in Brussels.

After a period at the Cabinet of the President of the Commission (from 2002 to 2004), he joined the Directorate General for External Relations as Director for Crisis Management and Representative at PSC (2004-2006), then Director for Latin America (2008-2009), and finally as Deputy Director General for Asia and Latin America (2009-2010). In 2010, he moved to the Directorate General for Enlargement as Deputy Director General and later as Director General, a position he held until June 2013.

From 2006 to 2008, he was the Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister and his Personal Representative to G8 summits.

He also held the position of Ambassador and Head of the OSCE Mission in Belgrade from 2001 to 2002. Within the Italian Diplomatic Service, he has held the following positions: Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade (1994-1996), Head of the Secretariat of the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1996-1998), and Diplomatic Advisor and Head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Trade (1998-2001).

Mr Sannino is fluent in Spanish, English, and French beyond his native Italian.