Irish civil servant appointed as EU ambassador to US

Irishman David O’Sullivan will be the EU’s ambassador to Washington for the next five years, in a post previously held by former taoiseach John Bruton.

He has spent the past five years in the fledgling European External Action Service where he was one of the senior three officials helping to establish the service.

The 61-year-old former Irish civil servant was head of the trade directorate of the European Commission and he is expected to play a key role in the EU-US negotiations on a trade and investment agreement.

He began his career in Brussels in 1979, and served in the cabinet’s of two Irish commissioners — Padraig Flynn and Peter Sutherland.

In 2000, he became secretary general, the most senior civil servant in the commission and in 2005, Mr O’Sullivan moved to take over the trade directorate where he later worked with British commissioner Catherine Ashton.

He was appointed chief operations officer in the newly created and much extended EU foreign service in 2009. His new role was announced by Ms Ashton and he will move to Washington in the autumn when the new commissioners are appointed.

Ms Ashton said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of David O’Sullivan to this key job in the European External Action Service.

“David’s well-known talent, energy and expertise continue to be significant assets for the EU’s external action and make him the ideal candidate to take forward the European Union’s work in Washington DC.”

He takes over from Portuguese Joao Vale de Almeida, who returns to Brussels.