Dirk Sibel Takes Over EU Office in Pristina, Succeeds Orava

German diplomat Dirk Sibel officially took office on September 2 as the European Union’s ambassador to Kosovo, head of the EU Office in Pristina and EU Special Representative for Kosovo, three roles he will now hold at once. He succeeds Aiva Orava, and his mandate, under the decision of the Council of the EU, runs for two years.

The Council of the European Union formally appointed Sibel to the post on July 13. Nearly two months passed before he actually took over, during which Orava remained at the head of the EU Office. KoSSev reported on the upcoming handover back in July, shortly after the Council’s decision.

In his first message after assuming the role, Sibel pledged to work with all stakeholders in Kosovo.

“I look forward to cooperating with Kosovo’s institutions, political actors, civil society, media outlets and all communities to help multi-ethnic Kosovo advance on its path toward EU integration,” said Dirk Sibel, European Union ambassador to Kosovo and head of the EU Office in Pristina.

What are the new ambassador’s priorities

Sibel put the swift formation of functional institutions in Kosovo, the implementation of European reforms and the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue at the top of his priority list. He said the moment was a favorable one, but that it was up to Kosovo’s institutions whether it gets seized.

“We have an important window of opportunity ahead of us,” Sibel said.

On the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the new ambassador announced close coordination with Peter Sorensen, who remains the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, while Sibel holds that separate post of EU Special Representative for Kosovo. He said he would work to, as he put it, “support Kosovo’s European future and Pristina’s constructive participation in the dialogue with Belgrade.”

Sibel called on Pristina to make full use of the funds available under the European Union’s Growth Plan and the upcoming IPA funds, saying Kosovo still lacks functional institutions capable of carrying out the reforms needed to access that assistance. He noted that the European Union has given Kosovo more than 3.7 billion euros in aid since 1999, spanning institution building and the rule of law to economic development and youth programs, making the bloc the country’s largest single donor. He also thanked Kosovo for voluntarily aligning itself with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.

“Together we can turn Kosovo’s European aspirations into tangible progress for all its citizens,” Sibel said.

Who is the new ambassador

Before arriving in Pristina, Sibel headed the Russia Division at the European External Action Service. He previously served as EU ambassador and head of the EU Delegation to Belarus from 2019 to 2022, and held the same post in Moldova from 2009 to 2013. Between 2022 and 2024 he was the EU’s Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership, and he has spent a significant part of his career working on the European Union’s eastern neighborhood.

As EU ambassador, Sibel will support Kosovo’s political processes, coordinate the EU’s political stance and oversee cooperation with Kosovo’s institutions, including reforms tied to the country’s European path. He will be assisted by the newly appointed deputy head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Aleksis Hupin.

Sibel’s call for the rapid formation of institutions comes as Pristina remains mired in a prolonged institutional crisis. He said that drawing on the Growth Plan and IPA funds requires “political responsibility, effective institutions, and a clear focus on reforms and the European integration agenda.”