Ashton picks EU ambassador to the US

Charles Grant, director of the CER, said that O'Sullivan's appointment, if confirmed, would show that the negotiations on a transatlantic trade and investment partnership were the main priority in EU-US relations. "The case for O'Sullivan is that he's an expert who understands the nitty-gritty of trade negotiations," he said.

Grant said that during his time at the EEAS, O'Sullivan had “de facto been in charge of China policy”, a relationship in which trade issues have been dominant. O'Sullivan has long had an interest in Asian affairs (of increasing importance to the US administration) and served in the Commission's delegation in Japan in the early 1980s.