Head of Mission

Bettina Patricia Boughani is Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia, starting with April 2024.

Bettina Patricia Boughani is a commissioned officer of the French National Gendarmerie with extensive experience in international relations and stabilisation missions. Throughout the 35 years of her career, she held various senior positions within the UN and the French Gendarmerie as well as within the Ministry of the Interior, showcasing her commitment to law enforcement and promoting security, international cooperation, peace and stability in fragile states.

She was involved in conflict prevention, mediation and peacekeeping in sensitive political and security contexts as police advisor to the French Permanent Mission to the United Nations between 2012 and 2016, in the private Cabinet of the General Director of the French Gendarmerie and during her three years as MINUSMA’s Police Commissioner (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali). Furthermore, one of her posting also included designing and conducting multilateral projects with European funding. As Head of the European Union Office of the French International Cooperation Directorate, she had to identify the french interests in several european working groups (SCHEVAL, law enforcement, Standing Committee on internal security issues…) as well as drafting strategic papers for the cabinet of the Ministry of the Interior in preparation of the EU Council on Home Affairs.

Bettina Patricia Boughani also held leadership positions in law enforcement and training institutions. She successively led a Riot Police squadron, a divisional command of the Gendarmerie and the Gendarmerie Air Transport Command.

She holds a law degree and graduated the War College and the National Gendarmerie Officers School. She also completed the United Nations Senior Mission Leadership Course in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in 2022 and the British Police’s Strategic Command Course in 2010.

Former Heads of Mission:

Ambassador Dimitrios Karabalis, January 2023 - December 2023

Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, March 2020 – December 2022

Mr. Erik Høeg, December 2017- December 2019

Ambassador Kęstutis Jankauskas, December 2014 - August 2017

Mr. Toivo Klaar, September 2013 - December 2014

Ambassador Andrzej Tyszkiewicz, July 2011-June 2013

Ambassador Hansjörg Haber, October 2008-April 2011