Sweden has decided to “recall” its man at the helm of the European Union Delegation to Serbia after just one year and appoint him head of a new foreign intelligence service, with Andreas von Beckerath taking over as Director-General of the UND in January.

This raises a whole series of questions, above all regarding the reasons behind the decision for Von Beckerath to leave this position practically overnight and after only a year, what this new Swedish intelligence service actually is, and what kind of information from Serbia Von Beckerath might have at his disposal.

The Swedish Government has appointed Andreas von Beckerath, the current EU Ambassador to Belgrade, as Director-General and head of Sweden’s foreign intelligence service, UND. According to the official announcement, Von Beckerath previously headed the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and served in several Swedish diplomatic missions abroad. Annika Brändström will serve as his deputy in the new role.

“Both possess extensive experience in foreign and security policy and are exceptionally well suited to building the new organisation and developing its work in a manner that strengthens Swedish intelligence capabilities, both in the short and long term,” stated Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard. Von Beckerath will assume his new duties on 1 January next year.

An internal Swedish matter

Von Beckerath’s new appointment comes just a year after he took up the post of EU Ambassador to Belgrade, and it is highly unusual for someone to leave such a role after such a short time. However, foreign policy analyst Boško Jakšić believes this is simply an internal Swedish staffing matter. “It was important for them to have their man in that position, and they likely contacted Brussels and said they needed him—’find someone else for Belgrade’,” says Jakšić. The analyst added that he does not believe there are any other motives, nor that the Europeans are recalling him.

“Personally, I see nothing out of the ordinary here,” Jakšić says.

When asked whether Brussels would quickly appoint someone to Von Beckerath’s newly vacated seat, Jakšić says:

“Probably! Mind you, personnel changes require a consensus within the European Commission or the Council of Europe. There is certainly a desire and intention to fill that post as soon as possible, but these things cannot move particularly quickly,” Jakšić says.

Who is Von Beckerath?

Andreas von Beckerath’s one-year tenure in Serbia will be remembered for his moderate statements regarding events in a country navigating one of the largest political crises in its recent history. During his mandate, he met at least three times with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.

Although he did speak out regarding the police raid on the Rectorate in Belgrade and the violence at protests, his positions were noticeably measured in relation to the events unfolding.

In December last year, he assessed as important the fact that a statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić – who had announced he would not attend the EU–Western Balkans Summit – clearly emphasised the message that Serbia would remain on its European path for as long as he is president. Von Beckerath added that the EU had wished for Vučić to be in Brussels for the Summit.

At a time of escalating social and political crisis in Serbia, Von Beckerath spoke of the country’s potential, stressing that its place is within the Union. “This is a wonderful country; it has immense capacity. Serbia is the largest and wealthiest country in the Western Balkans. Serbia’s future lies in the Union, and my job is to help Serbia achieve that,” he told a press conference.

Just a month after he took office, professors and researchers joined the Rebellious University Initiative and handed him a letter welcoming him to the post, whilst asking him to reconsider his position and withdraw support for Aleksandar Vučić’s regime.

Von Beckerath was appointed EU Ambassador to Serbia in August 2025.

According to the official website of the EU in Serbia, he arrived in the role after serving as Sweden’s Ambassador to Poland. Prior to that, he held several senior positions within the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, as well as Acting Head of the Department for Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs.

Von Beckerath previously served as Sweden’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy in London, and political counsellor at the Embassy in Berlin. Early in his diplomatic career, he served in Moscow, Bucharest, and at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York. He has also worked as a European Correspondent within the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

(Nova.rs, 31.08.2026)

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