Deputy Director-General (ret.), External Relations, European Commission

Amb Karel Kovanda retired on January 1, 2011, from the European Commission where he served as Deputy Director-General of External (Relex). His broad portfolio of responsibilities included Europe’s multilateral relations and human rights. He simultaneously served as the European Commission’s Political Director, both bilaterally as well as in the G8 context. From 1991 to 2005, Amb Kovanda worked as a senior diplomat in the Czech Foreign Service. He served as ambassador to NATO (1998-2005) and to the UN (1993-1997), including representing his country on the UN Security Council (1994-95).