Prof. Dr. Michael Reiterer

AIES Senior Advisor


Michael Reiterer is presently Distinguished Professor at the Brussels School of Governance, Institute for Strategy, Diplomacy and Security. He holds various teaching and advisory positions at numerous universities in Europe and Asia, including guest professorships at Keio University/Tokyo, Kobe University, Ritsumeikan University/Kyoto. His research interests are EU foreign policy, EU-Indo-Pacific relations with focus on Northeast Asia (Korea, Japan), inter-regionalism, human rights, security policy and new forms of diplomacy, all areas in which he has published extensively.

As an official of the European Union Dr. Reiterer served as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the European Union to the Republic of Korea (2017-2020), having previously served as Principal Advisor at the Asia and Pacific Department, European External Action Service (EEAS), Brussels (2012-2016); EU-Ambassador to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein (2007-2011), Minister/Deputy Head of the EU-Delegation to Japan (2002-2006) and ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting) Counsellor (1998-2002).

Before joining the European Commission in 1998 he was Minister-Counsellor at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the EU/Brussels, Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the GATT, Co-chair of the Joint Experts Group at the OECD on trade and environment, WTO-panellist, Deputy Director General for European Integration and Trade Policy at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber as well as Austrian Deputy Trade Commissioner to West Africa and Japan.

Having studied law at the University of Innsbruck (Dr. juris, 1978) he was appointed Adjunct Professor (Dozent, PhD equivalent) for International Politics in 2005. He also holds diplomas in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University/Bologna Center and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.