Dimiter Tzantchev ( bg, Димитър Цанчев) is a European diplomat, Ambassador, Head of EU Delegation to the

State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. He joined the European external action service after a long and distinguished career in the Bulgarian diplomatic service. He was Bulgaria's Ambassador to the EU, the UN in Geneva and to Israel. Tzantchev was President of COREPER II (Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the EU) - January 1 - June 30, 2018 during the first ever Bulgarian rotational presidency of the Council of the EU. One of the longest serving Permanent Representatives to EU in Brussels (nine and a half years) he was also the Dean of COREPER II from August 2017 until September 2021. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria on September 28, 1966. His father, Tzantcho Tzantchev (Tsancho Tsanchev) was a renowned director of photography in the Bulgarian cinema who has created some of the most popular Bulgarian films in 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. In his childhood Dimiter appeared in supporting roles in some of his father's films. His mother Lidia originates from the oldest founding families in the well known neighborhoods of the Bulgarian capital's

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

Boyana and Gorna Banya. Married to Stanislava Tzantcheva, they have a son Konstantin and a daughter Elena.

Education

1985 - graduated with Gold medal (summa cum laude) from the

Lycée Français de Sofia Lycée Français Alphonse de Lamartine de Sofia (LFAL, in Bulgarian: 9-та френска езикова гимназия „Алфонс дьо Ламартин", ФЕГ) is a selective French language school in Sofia, established in 1961 un ...

. 1992 - Master of Art (M.A.) in Arab studies from

Sofia University Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, ( bg, Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, ''Sofijski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“'') is the oldest higher education i ...

"Saint Kliment Ohridski", graduated summa cum laude. 2002 - Master of Laws (LL.M.), specialized in International law and international relations, from

"Saint Kliment Ohridski". 2006 - graduated from the High Level course of the European Security and Defense College in Brussels.

Postgraduate training and specialization

1995 - specialization in Diplomatic practice and International negotiations at the Institut International d'Administration Publique in Paris (merged with the Ecole Nationale d'Administration).
2004-2005 - training courses in Chairing international meetings, UN documentation and Negotiation skills at the UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research).

Diplomatic career

From September 2021 - Ambassador, Head of EU Delegation to the

2012-2021 — Ambassador, Permanent representative of the

Republic of Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

to the

European union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

.
2010-2012 — Vice-Minister of Foreign affairs of the

, Chair of the National Committee

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

.
2008-2010 — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the

to the

.
2005-2008 — Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the

.
2005 — Head of NATO and ESDP Department at the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the

.
2002-2005 — Ambassador, Permanent representative of the

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Office and the other international organizations in Geneva.
2001-2002 — Foreign Policy Secretary to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria

Petar Stoyanov Petar Stefanov Stojanov ( bg, Петър Стефанов Стоянов ; born 25 May 1952) is a Bulgarian politician who was President of Bulgaria from 1997 to 2002. He was elected as a candidate of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). He di ...

.
1999-2001 — Head of Middle East and North Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the

.
1996-1999 — Deputy Head of Mission, Head of the Political Affairs and Press section at the Embassy of the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

1993-1996 — Desk Officer for Iraq and Gulf countries at the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the

1992-1993 — Editor at the Bulgarian National Radio

Positions in International organizations

Vice-president of the United Nations Compensations Committee - 2002–2004.
President of the Trade and Development Board of

UNCTAD The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

- 2002–2003.
President of the Coordination Committee of

WIPO The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishin ...

- 2003–2004.
Chair of the 5th Conference on the conventional weapons - 2003.
Member of the Governing Board of the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) - 2002–2005.
Member of the Governing Board of the center for democratic control on the armed forces (DECAF) - 2003–2005.http://www.dcaf.ch/content/download/221/1507/file/dcaf_annual_report_04.pdf .

Acting career as child

Supporting role as Prince Svetoslav Terter's nephew in the film "Князът" ("The Prince"), 1970, dir. Petar B. Vasilev
Recurring role as Kircho in the film "Фильо и Макензен" ("Filyo I Makenzen"), 1978, dir. Dimitar Petrov
Supporting role as Railway worker's son in the film "Топло" ("Toplo"), 1979, dir. Vladimir Yanchev

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tzantchev, Dimiter 1966 births Living people Permanent Representatives of Bulgaria to the United Nations Ambassadors of Bulgaria to Israel Diplomats from Sofia Permanent Representatives to the European Union Bulgarian officials of the European Union Ambassadors of the European Union to Israel