Pierre Vimont is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. His research focuses on the European Neighborhood Policy, transatlantic relations, and French foreign policy.
From March 2016 to January 2017, Vimont served as the special envoy for the French initiative for a Middle East Peace Conference. Previously, he had been nominated the personal envoy of the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to lead preparations for the Valletta Conference between EU and African countries to tackle the causes of illegal migration and combat human smuggling and trafficking.
Prior to joining Carnegie, Vimont was the first executive secretary-general of the European External Action Service (EEAS), from December 2010 to March 2015. During his thirty-eight-year diplomatic career with the French foreign service, he served as ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2010, ambassador to the European Union from 1999 to 2002, and chief of staff to three former French foreign ministers. He holds the title, Ambassador of France, a dignity bestowed for life to only a few French career diplomats.
Vimont speaks French, English, and Spanish and is a knight of the French National Order of Merit. He holds a degree in law from Pantheon-Sorbonne University, and is a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and the National School of Administration (ENA).
Amid escalating international crises, Europe appears ill-equipped to offer effective diplomatic solutions. To regain influence as a global player, the EU should adopt an interagency mechanism involving its institutions and member states to develop policy options on foreign issues of strategic importance.
Pierre Vimont and Amr Hamzawy take stock of Europe’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and provide insights into how Brussels should navigate evolving geopolitical challenges in the Middle East.
In 2023, Germany’s foreign policy evolved considerably. The country adopted its first national security strategy and took decisive action to align its positions more closely with those of its allies.
Sidelined in the region, Europe is unlikely to have its voice heard amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas confrontation. Yet the EU’s economic leverage could prove useful in getting Israel and a new Palestinian leadership to negotiate in the longer term.
In Bratislava, President Macron presented a vision for a militarily capable EU that enlarges eastward. But making this a reality means revising the bloc’s governance.
In a recent interview returning from a state visit to China, French President Emmanuel Macron argued that Europe should reduce its dependency on the United States and avoid getting dragged into Washington’s confrontation with Beijing over Taiwan.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has driven European states to reimagine the continent's security architecture. Several have taken concrete steps to reorient their foreign policies, including Germany, which notably chose to increase its defense spending and send weapons to Ukraine in March.
Recent tensions between Paris and Berlin have led some to question the partnership’s purpose and relevance. But a track record of overcoming differences suggests relations can be revived.
Geopolitical realities have changed considerably since 2017, when Macron was first elected. In his second term as president, the Russo-Ukrainian war will inform French—and European—thinking.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have profound consequences for the stability of the region and for the future of European security, not to mention the immense human suffering. We asked Carnegie Europe’s scholars to give their assessment about how the military attack will fundamentally change the post-Cold War era.
