Poland in Sweden

Karolina Ostrzyniewska holds a degree in Economics (1998) and Law (2001).  She is a civil servant and diplomat, with the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary.

From 1998 to 2006 Karolina Ostrzyniewska worked in the Office of the Committee for European Integration (OCEI), in the Department for Accession Negotiations and in the Department for Integration Policy. She was responsible for tax policy, free movement of capital and freedom to provide services.

Between 2006 and 2008 she was delegated to the European Commission as a national expert in the Directorate-General for Internal Market (DG MARKT), where she was dealing with financial services.

From 2008 to 2013 she served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU, representing Poland in the Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER I). Her responsibilities covered internal market, competitiveness, transport, telecommunication and energy, environment and climate, agriculture and fisheries, social and employment policies, as well as education, culture, youth, and sports. 

During Poland’s EU Council Presidency in 2011, she chaired the Permanent Representatives Committee. She was i.a. responsible for negotiating agreements with the European Parliament on behalf of the Council and securing Council endorsement for the deal struck.

In 2013 Karolina Ostrzyniewska returned to MFA Headquarters, where she was first Deputy Director. In March 2014 became Director of the Department for the Committee of European Affairs and was also appointed Secretary of the Committee for European Affairs. Following the transfer of the MFA’s European divisions to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister in February 2020, she was working in both capacities until September 2024. She was responsible for coordinating preparations for meetings of the Committee for European Affairs and the mandates for COREPER, General Affairs Council and PL position for the European Council. She was also involved in preparing the program of the Polish Presidency in the Council of the EU in 2025.

Karolina Ostrzyniewska has over 16 years of experience at managerial positions in the public administration and diplomacy. She has completed leadership trainings. She has recently lectured on practical aspects of the EU decision-making process. From 2023 to 2024, she was a lecturer in a program aimed at strengthening Ukraine's administrative capacities for European integration (Natolin4CB), managed by the European College in Natolin.

As of 11 October 2024, she has taken up the position of chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Republic of Poland in the Kingdom of Sweden.

In 2012, Karolina Ostrzyniewska was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit.

Fluent in English, French, and German.