Johann Sattler | |
Office1: | EU Ambassador and EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Term Start1: | 1 September 2019[1] |
Predecessor1: | Lars-Gunnar Wigemark |
Successor1: | Luigi Soreca[2] |
Johann Sattler (born 12 January 1969) is an Austrian diplomat. Since September 2019, he has been serving as the EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sattler studied political science and Slavic studies at the University of Innsbruck, as well as in Prague and Moscow.[3]
In 1996, he graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and joined the Austrian foreign service. From 1997 to 1998, he worked as a political officer in Sarajevo and Tirana for the European Community Monitoring Mission (ECMM).[4] [5]
He then occupied various diplomatic posts such as cabinet member of Erhard Busek, EU Special Representative for South Eastern Europe (Stability Pact) in Brussels (1999–2002), counselor for political affairs at the Austrian embassy in Washington, D.C. (2002–2006) and deputy head of the office of secretary-general Johannes Kyrle at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006–2008).[4]
In 2008 he received a doctorate in political science from the University of Vienna.[4]
From 2008 to 2013, Sattler was managing director and publisher for Funke Mediengruppe and Axel Springer in Moscow.[6]
Sattler re-joined the Austrian foreign service in 2013, when Sebastian Kurz took up office as foreign minister. Sattler served for three years as head of unit for the Western Balkans.[7] In 2016, Kurz appointed him as Austrian ambassador to Albania.[4] Three years later, outgoing foreign minister Karin Kneissl put him forward for a position in the EEAS, and in September 2019 Federica Mogherini appointed Sattler to succeed to Lars-Gunnar Wigemark as Head of EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8] His mandate was extended in 2021 and again in 2023.