The chance to think creatively is the most interesting part of my job

Andreas Berg, 36, Sweden

I’ve been involved in the field of peace and security for over ten years now, first as a security analyst and coordinator in academic think tanks, then as reporting officer/political adviser for EULEX Kosovo, and later as Security Sector Reform Adviser to the Kosovo government. Most recently, I’ve worked as a Strategic Planner for the European External Action Service in Brussels, Belgium, and now as a Planning and Evaluation Officer for EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) here in Georgia. As you, maybe, can tell, I am passionate about a lot of things, including how the world works, how we transition from war to peace, and how actors like EUMM can play a positive part in the process. 

I’ve felt like a world citizen for most of my life, thanks to having left my home country of Sweden at the age of seven and growing up in California. Working in the field, combined my love of history, geography, international relations, and politics, in a way that also allowed me to see the world. Being an ‘expat’ sort of means feeling at home everywhere and nowhere, and in that sense, Georgia is now one of my many homes on earth, near and dear to me in its own special way!

I arrived in Georgia in May 2017 and have since then busied myself with planning processes at the headquarters level of the Mission. EUMM is a unique Mission, with a long and stable presence in the region and several distinct field offices with their own areas of patrolling responsibility. Having been established in 2008, the mission has a lot of experience and expertise to draw upon. However the situation along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) is always evolving and so should we, in order to maintain and improve our effectiveness. The creative part of my job is to think about precisely this question…how can we evaluate our effectiveness and positive impact, and then plan for improving the way we do our work?

Another great benefit to my job is, of course, to live here in Georgia! Tbilisi is an incredible city to live in, rich in history and culture but big and dynamic and forward-thinking in many ways too.