Ukraine gets new EU ambassador

The head of the support group for Ukraine in the European Commission and deputy director-general of the Directorate for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Katariná Mathernová will become the new ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell announced today.

Borrell announced the appointment of 40 heads of delegations and one chargé d’affaires of the European Union.

Mathernová will take over from Matti Maasikas, who was appointed in September 2019, as EU ambassador to Ukraine. Previously, Mathernová was also a senior advisor and manager of the vice president of the World Bank in Europe and Central Asia.

On Twitter, Mathernová wrote that it was a "great honor" for her to represent the EU in Ukraine.

"Super excited and honoured to continue supporting Ukraine and to represent EU in Ukraine as next EU Ambassador," she said.

The new ambassadors are expected to take office in September 2023.

In 2021, when information appeared in the media about the concern of a number of EU countries about visa-free abuse by Ukraine and other countries, Mathernová rejected rumors about the possible cancellation of visa-free travel. She stressed that "visa-free entry is deserved by Ukraine, it is also a result of the fact that Ukraine has chosen a European future."