EU appoints first special representative to the Gulf

On May 15, the European Union (EU) appointed former Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio as the EU's first Special Representative in the Gulf region.

The European Council said Mr. Di Maio, 36 years old, former leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S) in Italy, will take up the role of EU Special Representative for the Gulf region from June 1, with an initial term of 21 months.

Since May 2022, the European Commission (EC) has launched a strategic partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to restore cooperation between the two regions that account for 20% of the global economy. EU Special Representatives, nominated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, aim to promote EU policies and interests in specific regions and countries, and provide the EU with an active political presence in those regions. With the appointment of Mr. Di Maio, the EU now has 10 Special Representatives.

In Italy, reacting to Mr. Di Maio's nomination by High Representative Borrell for the above position, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that this choice was valid, but made it clear that Mr. Di Maio "is not a candidate of the Italian Government".

VNA

3rd Vietnam-EU Defense and Security Dialogue

On May 12, the 3rd Vietnam-European Union (EU) Defense and Security Dialogue took place online under the co-chair of Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, and Ms. Benedikta Von Seherr-Thoss, Director General for Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and Crisis Response of the EU External Action Service (EEAS).

Five EU countries allow Ukrainian agricultural products to transit

On April 28, European Commission (EC) officials announced that Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have reached an agreement to allow the transit of agricultural exports from Ukraine.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-te/tin-tuc/eu-bo-nhiem-dai-dien-dac-biet-dau-tien-tai-vung-vinh-728278