Bio
Christian Leffler, European External Action Service Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues. Born in Göteborg in 1955, Mr. Leffler obtained a Bachelor’s degree in politics and international relations from the LSE. After doctoral studies at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, he joined the Swedish Foreign Service in 1980.
Postings to Cairo and Paris were followed by the Political Affairs Department of the Ministry in Stockholm. After participating in the accession negotiations and in establishing the new working structures of the Representation in the first year of active Swedish EU membership, he became the first Swedish “Antici,” responsible under the Permanent Representative for policy coordination in the work in the Council of Ministers.
He joined the European Commission in 1996, where he took up the post
of Commission “Antici” and Head of the unit in the Secretariat General
responsible for the coordination of relations with the Council of
Ministers. In 1999, he became the Deputy Head of the Private Office of
the Right Honourable Chris Patten, European Commissioner for External
Relations. From 2002 until 2007, he was Director in charge of the Middle
East and South Mediterranean in the European Commission’s Directorate
General for External Relations.
He then spent three years as Head of Cabinet of Mrs. Margot Wallström,
Commission Vice President for Institutional Relations and
Communication. During 2010 Mr. Leffler was Deputy Director General
of the DG for Development and relations with African, Caribbean and
Pacific States, as well as a senior adviser to EU High Representative for
CFSP and European Commission Vice-President Catherine Ashton,
assisting her in the preparation for the establishment of the new European
External Action Service.
From the beginning of 2011 to 2015 he was Managing Director for
Americas with the European External Action Service.
Mr. Leffler took up his current position on 16 September 2015.