German Ambassador Claudia Wiedey has been appointed head of the European Union Delegation to Morocco, replacing the British diplomat Rupert Joy who held the post since April 2013.
The appointment was announced May 16 by Frederica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Wiedey is currently serving as Head of Division for the Horn of Africa, East Africa and Indian Ocean within the European External Action Service (EEAS) at Brussels. She had previously served as Head of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Mauritius, the Comoros Islands, Seychelles and Botswana.
This appointment is part of a broad diplomatic movement involving the nomination of 41 new Heads of EU Delegations worldwide. It is taking place at a time when relations between the European Union and Morocco are heavily stunted, as a result of the European Court’s annulment of the agricultural agreement, currently pending a final settlement arbitrated by the EU Courts.
Prior to her appointment, Wiedey was a Doctor of Agricultural Economics and Development Policy at the University of Bonn and was previously a scientific adviser to a joint working group of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to a statement from the EEAS, the 41 new EU ambassadors and heads of delegations will officially take office once their accreditation is validated by the authorities of the host country.
