German Ambassador to Italy
Lucas was born in Jülich, North Rhine-Westphalia. He studied history, political science, law and Catholic theology at the Rhenish University “Friedrich Wilhelm” in Bonn and graduated with a thesis on European politics and vision in France under President Charles de Gaulle.
He entered diplomacy in 1985 and also worked in Moscow and Washington DC. In the 1990s he was head of the personal office of Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and then speechwriter for his successor, Klaus Kinkel (both leading members of the liberals).
In Berlin he was, from 2003 to 2006, head of the division for Central, South-Eastern and Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia of the Department for Foreign and Security Policy of the German Chancellery. From 2006 to 2010 he was director for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2010 to 2011 he was the German representative at the Political and Security Committee of the European Union. From 2011 to 2015 he was political director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in this role he was the negotiator of the Iranian nuclear agreement. From 2015 to 2020 he was Germany’s permanent representative to NATO. In 2020 he was appointed Germany’s ambassador to France and Munich.