BRUSSELS, Belgium – Her Excellency E. Maria O’Brien (right), Bahamas Ambassador to Brussels, is pictured with EU-LAC Foundation Executive Director Paola Amadei in this photo posted on the EU-LAC Foundation’s website on Tuesday, November 5.
In a tweet that accompanied the photo, Executive Director Amadei noted that “next week the Bahamas officially opens its Embassy in Brussels with the visit of Prime Minister Minnis.”
“We can already feel the impact of the work of Ambassador O’Brien and look forward for more collaboration,” the tweet added.
Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, the European Union – Latin America and Caribbean Foundation (EU-LAC Foundation) was created in 2010 by the Heads of State and Government of the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) member states, according to the website.
The website adds: “Its Members are the Member states of the EU and CELAC as well as the EU itself. The Foundation is a tool of the EU-LAC partnership and its activities feed into the intergovernmental dialogue, in line with the bi-regional Action Plan.
“The EU-LAC Foundation was entrusted with the mission of strengthening and promoting the strategic bi-regional relationship, enhancing its visibility and fostering active participation of the respective civil societies.”
Prior to her appointment as Executive Director of the EU-LAC Foundation, Paola Amadei served as Ambassador of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands (2012-2016) and to Eritrea (2008-2011).
She began her professional career as Junior Professional Officer and Consultant at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago de Chile (1988-1991). Later, she joined the European Commission where she has worked, notably as Desk Officer for Malawi and Sao Tomé e Principe at the DG Development and Cooperation (1993-1996), and as Head of Section in the Delegation to Colombia and Ecuador (1996-1999) and in New York (1999-2003).
She holds a degree in Economics of the University of Genoa in Italy, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School – Tufts University in the US and a Diploma of High European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium).
