Michael Reiterer

Distinguished Professor

Michael Reiterer is Distinguished Professor at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG). He is honorary founding editor of the CSDS policy brief series.

Michael Reiterer pursued his academic career always in parallel to his diplomatic one at the Austrian and then European service. After graduating as Dr. jur. from the University of Innsbruck (1978), post-graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University/Bologna Centre(Diploma 1979) and the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva (Diploma 1983) were further stepping stones to his habilitation (PhD equivalent) in International Politics at the University of Innsbruck (2005, Institute for Political Science) focussing on EU-Asia relations. EU foreign policy, EU-Asia relations in particular with Japan and Korea, the Indo-Pacific, inter-regionalism, security issues, new forms of diplomacy, human rights are now the main focus of his research, having previously published extensively on international trade law and relations including WTO, trade and environment and the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM). 

Adjunct professor for international politics at University of Innsbruck; Webster University, ViennaLibera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali "Guido Carli" (LUISS), Rome; Danube University, Krems/Austria. For the fall semester 2023/24 he will be Guest Professor at  the Graduate School of International Relations/Ritsumeikan/Kyoto and Asia Pacific University/Beppu. In March 2022 he was online Guest Professor at the Law Faculty of Ritsumeikan and April-July in situ Invited Professor at Kobe University. Previously he has taught at various universities in Europe and Asia, In Japan he was invited professor at the University of Kobe (2014, 2015), Keio University (2008), the Graduate School of Political Science,Tokyo Japan. He gave guests lectures i.a. at Waseda University, International Christian University, University of Tokyo, University of Foreign Languages, Hitosobashi University), Aoyama University, Hosei University, Sophia University (Tokyo); Kyushu Sangyo University (Fukuoka), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, APU (Beppu), Ritsumekan University (Kyoto), Doshisha University (Kyoto), Kyoto University, Kwansei University, Setsuma University, Osaka University; Kagawa University, University of Oita, Kyushu University. Korea: i.a. Seoul National, Korea University, Yonsei University; Ewa Womens University/ Seoul; Wonkwang University/Iksan, Busan National University.

In September 2020 he retired from the European Diplomatic Service (European External Action Service-EEAS) as Ambassador plenipotentiary and extraordinary of the European Union to the Republic of Korea (2017-2020); previous posts included Ambassador to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein (2007-2011), Deputy Head of Mission/Minister at the EU Delegation to Japan (2002-2006), Counsellor in charge of ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) at the European Commission (1998-2001), Minister Counsellor at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the EU (1997-1998), Counsellor at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the GATT (1990-1992), Austrian Deputy Trade Commissioner for West Africa (out of Ivory Coast, 1982-1984)) and to Japan (1985-1988). He co-chaired the Joint Group of Trade and Environment Experts at the OECD, served as panellist at the WTO dispute settlement and was a member of the European Economic and Social Committee

Additional activities

Associate Fellow, Global Fellowship Initiative at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), Switzerland

Senior Research AssociateVienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy (CAPS), Washington D.C.; Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy

Member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Centre for EU-Asia Connectivity, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (2022-)

Member of the Scientific Committee of the European Forum Alpbach/Austria

Member of the Council of the Jean Monnet Foundation for EuropeLausanne/Switzerland

Member of the Advisory Board of the Austrian Society for European Policy (former VP).

Distinctions:

Order of Merit in Silver with Star (2019), Government of the Republic of Austria; 

Honorary Citizenship of Seoul (2020), Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea.