João Vale de AlmeidaEU Ambassador to the UK
João Vale de Almeida is the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom. He took office on February 1st, 2020. He is a senior European Union diplomat whose last postings as Ambassador included the United Nations (from 2015 to 2019) and the United States (2010 to 2014).
Prior to his appointment in Washington as the European Union’s Ambassador, he served as the Director General for External Relations at the European Commission, the European Union’s executive body. As the most senior official under the authority of the High Representative/Vice-President, he helped formulate and execute the EU’s foreign policy and played a key role in preparing for the new European External Action Service (EEAS) introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon.
Between 2004 and 2009, Ambassador Vale de Almeida was the Head of Cabinet (Chief of staff and main adviser) for European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. João Vale de Almeida was also the President’s Personal Representative for the negotiations on the Treaty of Lisbon and the EU’s “Sherpa” for G8 and G20 summits.
Earlier in his career in the European institutions, João Vale de Almeida held several senior positions in the European Commission and the Economic and Social Committee and worked closely in different capacities with and under the authority of former Commission Presidents Jacques Delors, Jacques Santer and Romano Prodi.
João Vale de Almeida joined the European Commission in 1982 at its Delegation in Lisbon, after spending seven years as a journalist. He holds a degree in History from the University of Lisbon and has studied and received training in journalism and management in the United States, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. João Vale de Almeida was decorated in 2011 by the President of the Republic of Portugal with the ‘Grã-Cruz da Ordem do Infante D. Henrique’ (Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator).
João Vale de Almeida is Portuguese; he was born in Lisbon in 1957. He is married, has two children and three grandchildren.
