Andy Sparkes becomes Deputy Head of the Eulex Mission
(BRUSSELS2) He was hitherto the British ambassador to Kosovo - the first since he took office shortly after the declaration of independence, in April 2008. Andy Sparkes has been appointed deputy head of the "EULEX "(rule of law) of the European Union in Kosovo, alongside French General Bout de Marnhac. The balance of the start is therefore preserved since Sparkes succeeds his compatriot Roy Reeve, who officiated since the beginning of the mission. He takes office in mid-October.
A British diplomat, he was posted in the Congo (2004-2007), at a delicate time - the transition from civil war to democratic elections in 2006 - in South Africa (2001-2004) and in Indonesia (1999-2001 ) and previously in Turkey and Thailand. He also held various positions at the Foreign Office in London, notably as assistant to the director of human resources or director of export services at the British Agency for the Promotion of Trade and Investment (UKT&I).
Divorced, he is the father of two children, speaks French fluently, speaks Albanian and understands Turkish. He plays the piano, sings, plays golf and loves to sail, like any self-respecting subject of His Gracious Majesty...
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)