Foreign Ministry’s Permanent State Secretary Jukka Salovaara appointed as EU Ambassador to London

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has appointed Permanent State Secretary Jukka Salovaara from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as EU Ambassador to London, starting on 1 September 2026.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has appointed Permanent State Secretary Jukka Salovaara from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as EU Ambassador to London. Salovaara will take up the position on 1 September 2026. He will be Finland’s first ambassador at senior management level in the European External Action Service (EEAS). The Ministry for Foreign Affairs currently has two EU Ambassadors, Sofie From-Emmesberger in Ethiopia and Johanna Karanko in Guatemala.

Jukka Salovaara has over 30 years of experience in diplomacy and EU affairs and has previously served at the Embassy of Finland in London. Prior to his post as Permanent State Secretary, Salovaara served as Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN in New York.

The EEAS has its own diplomatic corps, with two-thirds of the staff being permanent EU officials and one-third diplomats from the Member States. The EEAS currently has 145 delegations world-wide. A significant proportion of their staff is subject to regular rotation, similar to staff in Member State foreign ministries. Secondments are made for a fixed term, generally for four years.