Carl Hartzell
Carl Hartzell (born 4 May 1967) is a Swedish diplomat. After an early career in his home country in the 1990s, Hartzell subsequently filled in a number of positions in the European Union diplomatic service and, also, served as Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia from 2018 to 2022.
Early career
Born in Stockholm, Hartzell obtained Master's Degree from the Stockholm School of Economics and started his career at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters in 1993, followed by one year at the Ministry of Defence in 1996, and three years at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm from 1997 to 1999. He then held a number of positions in Brussels, both in EU institutions and as a Swedish diplomat, including as Member of the EU Policy Unit under High Representative Javier Solana (1999-2005), Minister Counsellor, Deputy Representative to the EU Political and Security Committee, and Swedish Permanent Representation to EU (2005–2011), Member of Cabinet of High Representative / Vice President Catherine Ashton (2012–2013), Senior Adviser to the Deputy Secretary General of the EU External Action Service (2013–2014), and Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk (2014–2018).[1]
Ambassador to Georgia
In September 2018, Hartzell was appointed as EU Ambassador to Georgia, succeeding the Hungarian diplomat Janos Herman in this position.[2] After Georgia, in contrast to fellow formerly Soviet Ukraine and Moldova, was not granted a EU candidate status in June 2022, Hartzell said Georgia could have been "better prepared" for its membership bid, "as it comes at a time when the EU is increasingly concerned about the country's current trajectory," hinting to the concerns over democratic backsliding under the Georgian Dream government.[3] In response, the Georgian Dream party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze denounced Hartzell as having "played a strictly negative role in relations between the European Union and Georgia" in July 2022, being promptly rebuked by EU's Lead Spokesperson for External Affairs Peter Stano Blaming who made a statement in support of Hartzell.[4] With his tenure in Georgia expiring in 2022, Hartzell is set to be succeeded by the Polish diplomat Pawel Herczynski.[5]
References
- ^ "Carl Hartzell biography" (PDF). The European External Action Service. 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "New EU Ambassador to Georgia Takes Office". Civil Georgia. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Georgia Could Be Better Prepared for Membership Bid, EU Ambo Says". Civil Georgia. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "EU Rebukes the Ruling Party Criticism of EU Ambo". Civil Georgia. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "New EU Ambassador to Georgia Nominated". Civil Georgia. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.