Mark Gitenstein, a former U.S. ambassador to Romania, was nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to the European Union, according to a White House announcement.

The nomination needs to be confirmed by the Senate.

Gitenstein served as ambassador to Romania between 2009 and 2012, appointed during the mandate of president Barack Obama.

He is a senior counsel at Mayer Brown LLP and spent most of the last decade working on projects in Central and Eastern Europe.  

Earlier in his career, Gitenstein worked for 17 years in the U.S. Senate as Chief Counsel or Minority Chief Counsel of the Judiciary Committee, Chief Counsel of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, and Counsel for the Intelligence Committee. In 2008, he co-chaired senator Biden’s transition to the vice presidency. In 2021 he served as a senior advisor to and member of the advisory committee to the Biden presidential transition. 

(Photo: Marian Mocanu/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com