UK Representation to the EU
Brussels 21:49, 16 May 2012
Who's who
The structure of UKRep varies from many other multilateral posts because of the unique working nature of the EU where Member States meet to discuss issues in three distinct formations.
Jon Cunliffe, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the EU, leads our team and represents the UK’s interests at weekly meetings of heads of mission from all 27 Member States. This group is called the Committee of Permanent Representatives or Coreper II and it deals largely with political, financial, justice, policing and foreign policy issues.
Andy Lebrecht is the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU and he meets with counterparts from other Member States in the Committee of Deputy Representatives, also known as Coreper I, which deals mainly with social, environmental and economic issues.
A third grouping brings together ambassadorial level representatives from each Member State to discuss Common Foreign and Security policy (CFSP) issues. This is known as the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and Julian Braithwaite represents the UK’s interests.
The rest of the UKRep team is broadly structured around these three formations with smaller teams within each group to deal with specific issues. Alongside these thematic teams, we have a group of staff who work on cross-cutting issues, for example providing legal advice, lobbying MEPs or arranging ministerial visits.