Petra Schneebauer becomes the new Austrian ambassador to the US.
Schneebauer was born in the Upper Austrian city of Wels and raised in nearby Lambach. She studied at both the University of Vienna and the University of Salzburg. A lawyer with a doctorate in philosophy, Schneebauer began her diplomatic career in 1993 as an intern at the European Commission in Brussels.
Assigned to Austria’s United Nations mission in New York (1997-2001), Schneebauer helped coordinate her country’s first EU presidency in 1998. Among her other overseas appointments was Austria’s consul-general in Zürich, Switzerland (2007-11) and ambassador to Malta (2011-15). She then went to the Consular Crisis Center (2015-17), where her duties included the timely update of travel advice as well as assisting Austrian victims of terrorist attacks and natural disasters abroad.
EU hosts second awards ceremony
The European Union Delegation and Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis hosted the second annual Transatlantic Bridge Awards at the House of Sweden. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen. Rob Portman, and journalist Judy Woodruff received awards for their efforts in fostering ties between the US and Europe.
Lambrinidis, along with Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter, opened with remarks about Europe’s current goals and highlighted the strength of US-EU relations. The event commemorated Europe Day, which falls on the anniversary of the 1950 Schuman Declaration, which laid the groundwork for the present-day European Union.
UAE cleans up Rock Creek Park
The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, in collaboration with Emirati students from nearby universities and partners at Rock Creek Conservancy, hosted a cleanup at Rock Creek Park in celebration of Earth Day.
During the cleanup, participants aided park managers in their efforts to control the spread of English ivy and preserve the native flora. It concluded with a hike, putting into perspective the importance of environmental stewardship.
