Emil Brix is diplomat and historian, director of the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. Since 1982 he has been in the Austrian diplomatic service, 1984-86 political secretary for the parliamentary group of the Austrian Peoples Party, 1986-89 Head of Cabinet Ministry of Science and Research, 1990-95 Austrian Consul General in Cracow/Poland, 1995-99 Director of the Austrian Cultural Institute London, 2002-2010 Director General for Foreign Cultural Policy at the Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, 2010-2015 Austrian Ambassador to the UK, 2015-2017 Austrian Ambassador to the Russian Federation. He is deputy chairman of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe and member of the governing board of the Austrian Research Association. Mr Brix holds PhD University of Vienna, Dr. hc. of the University of Drohobytsch/Ukraine and of the University of Cluj-Napoca/Romania. He is author of numerous books and articles on Austrian and European history of the 19th und 20th century.