Niclas Kvarnstrom succeeds Gunnar Wiegand as the new director of the Asia Department of the European External Action Service (EEAS). This is not an easy job. Wiegand had helped shape the European Union’s policy for the region for over 30 years. His successor, Niclas Kvarnström, however, comes with the diplomatic skills necessary to fill Wiegand’s role – and give EU policy an even stronger Indo-Pacific flavor.