Gianluca Grippa presented credentials to President Danilo Medina on 26 October 2017 at the Presidential Palace. He is the new European Union ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
A native of Rome, Italy, Grippa was the head of the Division Western Europe at the European External Action Service in Brussels, Belgium. He is a graduate in political science from the Luiss University in Rome. He began his career at the European Commission in Zambia in 1993 as economic counselor. Previously he served in the Italian navy as a lieutenant and spent five years in the United Nations Development Program in Latin America.
Also attending the presentation of credentials to President Danilo Medina in the presence of Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado were Dolores Romeo and Agnieszka Osiecka and José Izarra, officers of the European Union.
In a press release, Grippa stated: “The European Union has maintained a relationship of cooperation and friendship for more than 25 years with the Dominican Republic. Our presence in the country focuses on strengthening the state and democracy, on trade relations, protection of human rights, combatting climate change, among others. My goal during these four years is to maintain and strengthen those ties that unite us.”
His predecessor Alberto Navarro was named to head the European delegation in Cuba.
30 October 2017
