Sofia Moreira de Sousa is the new Ambassador of the European Union to Albania. The Portuguese diplomat is due to present her credentials to President of the Republic Bajram Begaj today, officially beginning her mandate in Tirana. Moreira de Sousa succeeds Italian diplomat Silvio Gonzato, who has headed the EU Delegation in Albania in recent years.
Her appointment to Tirana comes after a long career in European institutions and international relations, where she has held several senior positions.
Before arriving in Albania, Moreira de Sousa served as Head of the European Commission Representation in Portugal, a position she assumed in September 2021. She also previously served as EU Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Cabo Verde, where she spent four years.
Her experience in European diplomacy also includes assignments in Africa. She previously served as Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to South Africa and, from 2009 to 2011, worked at the EU Delegation to the African Union in Addis Ababa.
During that period, she focused on political developments, regional integration processes in Africa, and the strategic partnership between the EU and African countries.
Moreira de Sousa’s career also includes work during a crucial period for European foreign policy. From 2003 to 2007, she was part of the team of EU High Representative Javier Solana, where she worked primarily on the European Union’s relations with Russia and Ukraine.
She was also involved in European efforts to mediate the political crisis in Ukraine following the 2004 Orange Revolution.
In 2005 and 2006, the Portuguese diplomat served as Senior Adviser to the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, a position that placed her directly at the center of political developments in the region.
She later served as Senior Adviser to an EU Deputy Secretary-General and worked within structures dealing with negotiations related to Iran and the EU’s relations with its Eastern Partners until 2014.
Moreira de Sousa’s professional career did not begin directly in diplomacy. Early in her career, she worked in the international relations department of the European Space Agency, where she focused on the international aspects of the Galileo satellite navigation programme.
She also directed training programmes at the Academy of European Law in Trier, Germany, where she was involved in developing courses for judges and magistrates on European law and jurisprudence.
Before joining the European institutions, Moreira de Sousa worked for two years as a lawyer at a law firm in Porto, her hometown.
She studied law in Portugal and later obtained an LLM in International Law and International Relations from the University of Hamburg in Germany.
Moreira de Sousa formally takes up her post in Tirana at a significant moment for Albania, as the country continues its European Union accession process. Her extensive experience in EU foreign policy, international relations and institutional affairs is expected to shape her work as the EU’s representative in Albania.
