NEW DIPLOMATS ON THE BLOCK The diplomatic merry-go-round saw three ambassadors leave their posts in the Grand Duchy this summer (see page 16). Familiar to the local international community, Diarmuid O’Leary, Louise Bang Jespersen and Marja Lehto have now taken up new posts in Japan, Belgium and Finland respectively. In Brussels, Jespersen continues to represent Denmark in Luxembourg after the Danes closed their embassy here. But new ambassadors from Ireland and Finland have arrived in the Grand Duchy to represent their government’s interests and serve their communities. Introducing Peadar Carpenter and Timo Ranta.
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PHOTOS LEGENDS A. Irish ambassador Peadar Carpenter: pragmatic approach to Europe B. Finnish ambassador Timo Ranta: use diplomatic mission as a resource
usterity measures, new technology and geo-political shifts have resulted in many countries taking a fresh approach to the status of their diplomatic missions abroad. Denmark, for example, decided to close down its Luxemburg embassy along with missions in Cyprus, Switzerland, Slovenia and Slovakia, while opening up embassies in countries like Nigeria, Colombia and the Philippines. Luxembourg is now served by the embassy in Brussels--a not unfamiliar scenario for many countries with more limited resources. “The world is changing, economy too, and resources are limited. We have to adapt, and as a small country we know how important it is to remain flexible,” said ambassador Louise Bang Jespersen back in June. Ireland has recently also seen its embassy in Luxembourg reduced to what former ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary called a “light” diplomatic model, with just one diplomat assisted by three long-serving and knowledgeable local staff. “When you’re on your own you have to use your time well, and focus on making good contacts,” says O’Leary’s successor, Peadar Carpenter. Arriving in August, Carpenter is currently living in temporary accommodation in a Kirchberg apartment while a new residence is sought--a downsizing of the ambassador’s residence was also
part of the cutbacks introduced by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs several years ago, and O’Leary and wife Emma lived in a relatively modest house outside the city. A civil servant for most of his working life, Carpenter was in the Irish justice department for ten years before joining the DFA in December 1991. Most recently he served as director of the consulate division and before that worked for ten years in the Anglo-Irish division. “That was an interesting place at an interesting time. It was very rewarding, challenging, frustrating and a whole load of other things, but I enjoyed it. We achieved a lot and moved forward a lot,” he says, referring to the Northern Ireland peace process. “We put in a good foundation.” Carpenter says the Conflict Resolution Unit set up to share the experiences of the process could be used to promote peacemaking in other countries. “It’s one thing getting an agreement, it’s quite another what people understand it to be. The problem in Northern Ireland was that some people saw it as a zero sum game; that if one side won something the other must have lost something. That was a strange reaction to get to some of the things we did.” FOCUS ON ACHIEVABLES Being in one of the centres of EU affairs, Carpenter points out that a diplomatic presence in the Grand Duchy is essential for a pro-European country like Ireland. “We try to be pragmatic, not dogmatic in our approach to Europe.” Indeed, Carpenter is keen to set up more bilateral meetings between ministers when representatives of Ireland come to Luxembourg on EU business. “Europe is competing with the rest of the world, which is something people maybe don’t always understand. It is very important that we don’t put our own industries at something of a disadvantage on the world stage. Trade nowadays is so
mobile, it’s hugely important that we are alert to all these things.” The ambassador has had time to settle in before the political “rentrée”, but next year at this time life will be busier as Luxembourg takes on the presidency of the EU during the second half of 2015. “When you have the presidency, you often take on an agenda that is already there. But it does give a country an opportunity to show what it is capable of. There’s a huge amount of planning involved. I think the best is to focus on a small number of achievables and actually deliver them, rather than trying to be all things to all men.”
"WE TRY TO BE PRAGMATIC, NOT DOGMATIC IN OUR APPROACH TO EUROPE." AMBASSADOR PEADAR CARPENTER
New Finnish ambassador Timo Ranta is also very familiar with the workings of the European Union. He spent 11 years in Brussels and more recently was the diplomatic advisor to the then minister for foreign affairs and trade, now prime minister, Alexander Stubb in Helsinki. Ranta’s stint in Brussels included a post as member of cabinet of the first president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy. He visited Luxembourg many times for council meetings while in Brussels in the 1990s. “Unfortunately, I mostly only got to see the Kirchberg plateau or some hotels close to the railway station,” he says ruefully. “When I got to stay in the city centre, I realised it was quite nice and that the people are nice and the city is buzzing with international action.” He decided some time ago that Luxembourg would be a good place to live, so when the ambassador vacancy was advertised he jumped at the chance to apply. The role will be vastly different to what Ranta has done before. “An ambassador is not supposed to be a specialist, October 2014