After working in the private sector, Mr Benedikt worked for the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber during the negotiations on Austria’s accession to the European Union (1991-1996). He then joined the European Commission as an official. He has more than 25 years’ professional experience in the European diplomatic network. During his career at the service of the European Union, he worked on the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, on relations with the Russian Federation, and on human resources management. He spent fourteen years on different diplomatic posts, including the EU Delegations in Turkey (1999-2004) as Head of Trade and Economic Section; in Croatia (2004-2009) as Head of Cooperation where he was involved in the negotiations on the accession of Croatia to the European Union; and finally in Serbia (2013-2017) as Deputy Head of Delegation. He has also been an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria during the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU (2018-2019).

Mr Benedikt is an Austrian national. He holds a Master of Business Administration in International Trade and Business Administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. He speaks German, English, French and Spanish.