The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) congratulates Federica Mogherini (Marshall Memorial fellow, 2007) on her selection as the new High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The nomination was made at the EU leaders’ summit on Saturday, August 30, upon a qualified majority decision by the European Council, and with the agreement of the President of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Mogherini will next come before the European Parliament for a vote of approval. 

Mogherini most recently served as Italy’s minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation. Prior to this role, she was a member of Parliament in the Italian Chamber of Deputies and served on the committees on defense and on foreign affairs. She was also a member of the Italian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and chaired the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO. 

Mogherini was awarded the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, the flagship leadership development program of the GMF, in 2007. In this program, she participated in an intensive learning and networking experience designed to foster collaboration, build personal capacity, and prompt innovative thinking and problem-solving. During the fellowship, she was immersed in communities across the United States through travel and study.

While participating at GMF’s Brussels Forum in March 2014, Mogherini referenced her fellowship experience stating, “I was actually a German Marshall Fund fellow not so long ago, six, seven years, so I can say it works, and quite fast.”

The Marshall Memorial Fellowship builds capacity for transatlantic understanding and cooperation among emerging leaders from the United States and Europe. Approximately 75 awards are made annually to emerging leaders from across the United States and Europe. For more information, visit the Marshall Memorial Fellowship webpage.