Cornelia Taylor has been appointed as the new head of the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) and will take up the post on 1 July 2026.
Taylor, a German lawyer, will replace Rolf Holmboe, the Council of the EU announced on Friday.
She has more than 20 years’ experience managing operations in what the Council described as fragile security environments, and has held leadership roles in UN and EU missions in Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.
Taylor has served as Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo since February 2024 and was Acting Head of Mission from September 2024 to May 2025.
The OSCE is the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an international body involved in conflict prevention and crisis management.
The appointment decision was taken by the EU’s Political and Security Committee on 28 May 2026.
What EUAM Ukraine does
EUAM Ukraine is a non-executive civilian mission — meaning it advises rather than carries out law enforcement operations — set up in 2014 at the invitation of the Ukrainian authorities, the Council said.
The mission supports reform measures aligned with EU standards and principles on good governance and human rights, including work linked to Ukraine’s commitments connected to its EU accession process.
Its mandate was substantially adjusted in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion, and it now also supports Ukrainian authorities in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed in the context of the war, as well as work on integrated border management and support in liberated territories.
On 11 May 2026, the mission’s mandate was broadened to counter hybrid threats and support veteran reintegration.
EUAM Ukraine operates field offices in Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa as well as a mobile unit, while offices in Kharkiv and Mariupol are currently not operational. The mission has more than 400 international and local staff.
