German Ambassador Barbara Wolf. (source: Boris Nemeth)
Barbara Wolf, a German diplomat, is not a newcomer to Bratislava.
In the mid nineties, when Slovakia was a relatively new country on the map of Europe, she worked for the European Commission and often travelled to the city on business. Her visits to Bratislava stopped as her career pathway took her to other places. Some years later she found herself in Bratislava again.
Wolf became Germany’s ambassador to Slovakia in August 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. As she told The Slovak Spectator three years ago, she was not completely surprised.
“I had Bratislava on the list of postings that I applied for,” she then said.
Despite her fond memories of Bratislava from bygone days and a handover note from her predecessor, Joachim Bleicker, the coronavirus made it challenging for her to ease herself into the new job and build a network of contacts.
Moreover, less than two years into her posting, in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and the embassy led by Wolf had to find a way to help German citizens fleeing Ukraine. With the constant inflow of information from the Slovak government, including the daily numbers and nationalities of people entering Slovakia from Ukraine, Wolf says that her embassy knew quite well what was happening at the border. Today, it is the German soldiers deployed in central Slovakia who have changed some of the embassy’s routines.
“Overall, things [at the embassy] are getting better,” the ambassador says.
The “European Energy Manager” certificate was awarded to the successful participants in the presence of the ambassador. (source: AHK Slowakei)
