Claude-France Arnould

Claude-France Arnould joined the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics in March 2025 as Senior Fellow for European Defence. She was Executive Director of the European Defence Agency (2011–15) before serving as France’s Ambassador to Belgium (2015–19). Between 2020 and 2025, she was affiliated to the Paris-based think-tank Ifri as Advisor to the President for European Affairs. She led the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate at the EU Council after serving as Director for Defence (2001 to 2011). She is a graduate of the École normale supérieure (ENS), the École nationale d’administration (ENA) and Sciences Po, Paris and has been awarded high honours in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain.