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Jovita Neliupšienė became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on January 1, 2024. Before that, she was a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from September 2022, where she was responsible for the coordination of European Affairs, European bilateral and regional issues, as well as national sanctions coordinator.

From 2020-2022, she was Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, tasked with investment and export promotion, international cooperation, including policy coordination of state-owned enterprises, as well as chairing the interagency commission for export control.

In 2020, she held the post of Chancellor and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. This position included responsibility for staff coordination, legal and consular affairs. Between 2015-2020, she served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU. These years were marked by the migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2009-2015, she worked as an advisor and chief foreign policy advisor to the President of the Republic of Lithuania Ms. Dalia Grybauskaite. She was responsible for foreign policy coordination, inter-institutional relations, as well as the role of sherpa/EU advisor, and in this respect took a leading position in preparing and coordinating the Lithuanian presidency of the EU Council in 2013. In 2014, she was awarded the State Decoration Order "For Merit to Lithuania" Commander's Cross.

Read her full biography here.

Michael Curtis has been the EU Deputy Ambassador to the United States since September 1, 2019. Immediately before joining the Delegation, he served in the team of the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, advising her on a number of important foreign policy issues for five years, including on transatlantic relations.

He has had a long career in the European Union institutions working mainly on foreign policy and external relations, trade, development and humanitarian issues. From 2004-2008, he worked as the EU Humanitarian Affairs Counsellor to the United Nations in New York. From 2000-2004, he worked on the team of the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, first as Press Spokesperson then as a member of his Staff.

Mr. Curtis has also had two stints working for the European Commission’s Secretariat General focusing on relations with the EU Member States in the area of foreign policy and trade, then relations with the European External Action Service where he was closely involved with its setting up in 2010.

Mr. Curtis has a Bachelor’s degree in French and Politics from Leicester University in the U.K and a post-graduate Master’s degree in European Politics from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. He is a dual Italian/British national.