BRUSSELS — The Council of the European Union has appointed Sven Koopmans as EU special representative for the Middle East Peace Process, the council said in a press release on Thursday. Koopmans, who will a new role from May 1, 2021 until Feb. 28, 2023, is a peace negotiation specialist, senior diplomat, national politician, and international lawyer. He was a member of parliament in the Netherlands between 2017 and 2021. Koopmans has also served as the spokesperson on foreign affairs and head of the delegation in the NATO parliamentary assembly. Before that he worked for the European Union, the United Nations and other international organizations on peace processes for Cyprus, Kosovo, Mali, Sudan and Syria, among others. Koopmans's mandate is to provide an active contribution to the final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution in line with the UN resolution. He will maintain close contact with all parties in the peace process as well as with the United Nations and other relevant organizations such as the Arab League. He will also support the work of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on this issue and maintain an overview of all EU regional activities linked to the Middle East Peace Process.
