Ambassador GARDNER at the College of Europe

Former US Ambassador to the EU, Mr Anthony Luzzatto GARDNER, will be spending three months as a visiting fellow at the College of Europe Bruges campus. He will be participating in College events, writing, doing public speaking and holding regular office hours for students who will be able to learn from his valuable experience and knowledge. 

It is a great opportunity for the College of Europe to have the ambassador in our midst, especially in light of the launching of a brand new Master of Arts in Transatlantic Affairs and during times of uncertainty regarding the transatlantic relationship.

Contact

Ambassador GARDNER and for press matters, please contact Mrs Caroline VANDENBUSSCHE. 

In the press

Biography of Anthony Luzzatto GARDNER

Ambassador, US Mission to the EU, March 2014-January 2017

During his three-year tenure, Ambassador GARDNER was closely involved in the negotiations to conclude a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement. He played key roles in concluding the US-EU Privacy Shield Agreement to enable the free flow of transatlantic data; the US-EU Umbrella law enforcement data exchange agreement between law enforcement authorities; the US-EU Memorandum of Understanding on science and technology cooperation; the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement facilitating the sale of US defense goods and services to EU military missions; and the NATO-EU communiqué on closer cooperation regarding hybrid warfare and maritime matters. He worked closely with US businesses to assess the impact of the Digital Single Market proposals, and was involved in the implementation and renewal of US-EU sanctions against Russia, as well as US-EU projects to enhance European energy independence. He successfully raised funding for 7-10 new grants under the Fulbright-Schuman program.

Prior to assuming his current position, Ambassador GARDNER was Managing Director for six years at Palamon Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in London, that focuses on providing growth capital to fast growing businesses in a wide variety of service sectors throughout Western Europe. In that capacity he managed financing, legal and tax structuring issues related to the firm's acquisitions and divestitures.

Previously, Ambassador GARDNER served as an Executive Director in the leveraged finance departments of Bank of America and GE Capital and as a Director in the international acquisitions group of GE International, all based in London. He has also worked at international law firms in London, Paris, New York, and Brussels.

Ambassador GARDNER has dedicated more than twenty years of his career to US-European affairs, as a government official, lawyer and investor. He served as Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council in 1994-95. During that period, he worked closely with the US Mission to the European Union to launch the New Transatlantic Agenda, a joint commitment to promoting peace and stability, democracy, and development around the world; responding to global challenges; contributing to the expansion of world trade and closer economic relations; and building bridges across the Atlantic. Ambassador GARDNER also participated in the launch of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue, an advisory group bringing together executives from leading American and European companies to advocate for a barrier-free transatlantic market.

Prior to his government service, Ambassador GARDNER worked with the Treuhandanstalt (German Privatization Ministry) in Berlin, with the Commission des Operations de Bourse in Paris, and as an intern at the Directorate General for Competition Policy at the European Commission in Brussels. He is the author of A New Era in U.S.-EU Relations?: The Clinton Administration and the New Transatlantic Agenda and numerous articles on EU affairs.

Ambassador GARDNER holds a BA in Government from Harvard University, an MPhil in International Relations from Oxford University, a JD from Columbia Law School, and a Masters in Finance from London Business School. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.