Ambassador Martin Selmayr
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About the Ambassador

Since September 2024, Martin Selmayr serves as Ambassador of the European Union in Rome. He is Ambassador of the European Union to the Holy See, the Order of Malta and the Republic of San Marino and Permanent Representative of the European Union to the Rome-based United Nations Organisations – the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Prior to his posting to Rome, Ambassador Selmayr served, amongst others, as Chief of Staff to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (2014-2018), as Secretary-General of the European Commission (2018-2019) and as European Commission Representative to Austria (2019-2024). He was sherpa of the Commission President at G7, G20 and UN meetings and in key bilateral and multilateral negotiations, including those related to the third stability programme for Greece, the Paris Climate Agreement, the EU-Turkey statement on migration, the EU-Japan trade agreement and the Brexit negotiations. As Secretary-General of the European Commission, he coordinated the work on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and was in charge of the EU-U.S. trade talks during the Trump administration

Ambassador Selmayr was born in Bonn (Germany) in 1970. He studied law at the Universities of Geneva and Passau, King's College London and the University of California (Davis/Berkeley). He holds a doctorate in law from the University of Passau and is Honorary Professor for European Economic and Financial Law at the University of Saarbrücken. After positions as lecturer at the Chair for EU Law and Public International Law in Passau, as lawyer at the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the media company Bertelsmann, Selmayr joined the European Commission as an official on 1 November 2004 where he was first Commission spokesperson for telecoms and media policy (2004-2010) and then Chief of Staff to Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (2010-2014).

In his (rare) spare time, Ambassador Selmayr is teaching EU Law (institutional law, sustainability law, digital law, competition law, law of economic and monetary union) at the Universities of Saarbrücken, Passau, Vienna and Krems. He is the author or co-author of more than 70 law journal articles, book contributions and books, including a book on the Law of the European Central Bank (in English and Italian) and a leading German commentary on the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. He is also contributing to a legal commentary on the EU’s AI Act.

Ambassador Selmayr was decorated by the Kingdom of Spain with the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III and by the Republic of Austria with the Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria.

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Message from the Ambassador

It’s an honour to serve as Ambassador of the European Union in Rome. Rome, the 'eternal city', is home to several important international organisations and global players that focus on improving the lives of people all over the world. The EU Delegation in Rome, with our small but dedicated multinational team, represents the European Union in several distinct bilateral and multilateral contexts:

  • The Holy See, with the Pope as the head, is the central spiritual and administrative authority of the Catholic Church, which includes more than 1.3 billion Catholics in the world. Under international law, the Holy See has full legal personality, maintains diplomatic relations with 183 countries, is a member of several international organisations (notably the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and has a permanent observer status at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States, the Organisation of African Unity and many other organisations. With its global outreach and diplomatic network of apostolic nunciatures, the Holy See is an important partner for the European Union in maintaining and building peace and reconciliation, promoting global solidarity, fighting poverty, protecting the environment and our climate as well as preserving our values in a digitised world which increasingly makes use of artificial intelligence. The EU has diplomatic relations with the Holy See since 1970. A Monetary Agreement with the EU makes the euro legal tender in the Vatican (which is governed by the Holy See) and allows for the issuance of euro coins.

 

  • Since 1991, the European Union is a member, alongside its Member States, of the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The EU is furthermore observer at the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD). The three UN Organizations in Rome are each important partners for us to improve food security in the world, to help those who are most in need and to promote sustainable development. The EU and its Member States are large contributors to each of these UN Organizations, both financially and through the sharing of expertise. The mandate of the EU Delegation is to ensure that the EU and its Member State voice coordinated positions in the Rome-based UN Organizations in order to promote our common values and interests. The Common Agricultural Policy, the EU Green Deal, our commitment to sustainable trade and development and our humanitarian work play a strong role in our work in the governing bodies, committees and working groups of the Rome-based UN Organizations.

 

  • The Sovereign Order of Malta is one of the world’s oldest and largest humanitarian organisations, providing humanitarian, medical and social assistance in several countries worldwide. The European Union cooperates diplomatically with the Order of Malta since 2009.

 

  • The EU Delegation in Rome is also responsible for maintaining diplomatic relations with San Marino, the oldest republic in the world and now close to signing the most advanced association agreement with the European Union. A Monetary Agreement with the EU makes the euro legal tender in San Marino and allows for the issuance of euro coins.

 

While these different diplomatic tasks and interlocutors requires me and the whole team of the EU Delegation to wear many bilateral and multilateral “hats” during each day in Rome, it is a great privilege to work together with the Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of our 27 EU Member States and of all candidate countries in a strong Team Europe spirit. It is also highly interesting and enriching to work together with the diplomats of more than 180 nations diplomatically represented in Rome to maintain and further develop the rules-based international system. In these times of increasing conflicts across the world, unprecedented food insecurity and accelerating climate change, the European Union is more than ever committed to promoting diplomatic cooperation and promoting multilateral solutions in the interests of peace, freedom, equality, sustainability and prosperity.