Two ZIF experts now Heads of EU Missions in Ukraine and Moldova

The Council of the European Union has appointed two highly experienced German experts to lead civilian EU missions:

• Cornelia Taylor assumed her role as Head of Mission of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) on 1 July 2026.
• Kirsten Joppe took up her position as Head of Mission of the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova (EUPM Moldova) on 25 April 2026.

Both bring decades of international experience in civilian peace and stabilization missions and have previously served in different capacities as ZIF secondees.

Cornelia Taylor: Leadership Experience in Fragile Security Environments

Cornelia Taylor is a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in civilian crisis management.

Her international career includes senior positions in UN and EU missions in Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan. Most recently, since February 2024, she served as Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, seconded by ZIF on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office.

In her new role, she will lead EUAM Ukraine, whose mandate includes supporting reform processes, strengthening human rights standards and border management, and—following the expansion of its mandate—countering hybrid threats and supporting the investigation and prosecution of international crimes.

Kirsten Joppe: Expertise in Governance and EU Missions

Kirsten Joppe is a governance expert with more than 20 years of experience in peace operations, human rights, and international advisory work.

She previously served in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and worked for the German Federal Foreign Office as Desk Officer for Armenia and Azerbaijan. She also brings extensive operational experience within the EU's civilian missions. After more than six years in Ukraine, she joined EUPM Moldova in November 2024 as Deputy Head of Mission and Chief of Staff, seconded by ZIF on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office.

As Head of Mission, she now leads an EU mission that has been strengthening the resilience of Moldova's security sector since 2023, with a particular focus on crisis management, cyber threats, and foreign information manipulation and interference.

ZIF Secondments as a Pathway to International Leadership

"I warmly congratulate Cornelia Taylor and Kirsten Joppe on taking up these demanding leadership positions in two key EU missions," said Dr. Astrid Irrgang, Executive Director of ZIF. "Both have made an outstanding contribution to international missions through their expertise and have played a significant role in enhancing their impact. As leaders, they exemplify how secondments can pave the way for long-term leadership and responsibility in international peace and security."

Strengthening European Crisis Management and Security

These appointments come at a time of continued security challenges in Europe's neighbourhood. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, civilian EU missions such as EUAM Ukraine and EUPM Moldova have gained increasing strategic importance. They are key instruments of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, supporting resilience, stability, and the EU enlargement process in the region.