As a young diplomat Boomgaarden was first posted as a cultural officer behind the Iron Curtain in Soviet Moscow (1976-80) where he was amazed to discover a vibrant underground jazz scene in Moscow.

In 1980 he was posted to Argentina, as the military regime’s hubris erupted into war with Britain over the Falkland Islands (1980-83).

Returning to Bonn he worked in the Central America Division, working on the peace accord for Central America – an ugly proxy war of the Cold War – and was lucky to see the mission accomplished when he was posted as Ambassador to Nicaragua (1988-92) to witness the first peaceful, post-conflict elections.

In 1992, Boomgaarden returned to Russia. By then the tectonic plates between East and West had shifted and the country was reeling in the aftershock of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“Moscow was the same city but it was a different country,” says Boomgarden, who as head of the Economic Service at the Embassy, witnessed the country lurch from a command to market economy.

The Ambassador’s next posting was to Spain where he witnessed the worst terrorist attacks on mainland Europe. Members of his staff had been on the platform when the bombs exploded on the commuter trains.

“It was a very difficult time for all of us, but I was very impressed with how the Spanish responded with such dignity and firmness, particularly the Royal Family.”

The Ambassador’s term as State Secretary was one of his toughest challenges yet: deputising for the Federal foreign minister, while running a huge government department, managing day-to-day crises and overseeing a portfolio that included everything from economic policy, to energy, export controls, non-proliferation and cultural exchange law and consular affairs and public diplomacy – last but not least to secure the budget for the ministry. 

A strong advocate of ‘soft power’ Boomgaarden helped Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to persuade the German parliament to fund the expansion of cultural programmes in the emerging powers of China, India and Africa.

The Ambassador also set up a dialogue of law experts with the US on the human rights record of the Bush administration which went some way to repair relations damaged by deep disagreements over the war in Iraq.

Now in London, Boomgaarden finds himself near the epicentre of a worldwide financial crisis. Witnessing political shocks of every kind during his long career has reinforced Boomgaarden’s view that global problems such as this cannot be solved in isolation.

The Ambassador’s twin goals in London are to foster greater cooperation between the UK and Germany within the context of the EU and Nato. “So many of the problems we face now transcend borders and we cannot solve them on our own,” he says.

Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty “is imperative” he says, and hopes Ireland can be persuaded to hold a new referendum in which the public will be given accurate information about the treaty, as opposed to the scare-mongering of the no campaign.

“The Lisbon Treaty is not about building a super state – that’s a myth,” he says. “It’s about streamlined decision-making processes; it’s about giving the national parliaments more powers; it’s about having the right level of decision-making for the right question. And nobody doubts there are questions that have to be decided at a common European level.”

On questions of international politics, taking a common EU position holds much more authority, he says. “These common positions are never easy to come to but it is important that we reach these positions.”

Whether it is the trade talks of the Doha round, the Millennium Development Goals or the Copenhagen Summit on climate change a “shared sovereignty” can achieve more, he says, particularly with the prospect of a new, less unilateralist administration in Washington.

Sharing security is also a priority and Germany’s trans-Atlantic ties remain of critical importance, but the Ambassador  is keen to stress that any military campaign should be supported by a development dimension.

The German government has significantly increased the budget for international development over the past three years, he says. “You can’t have security without development and development is very much hampered without security. This balance needs to be restored.”

Clearly Ambassador Boomgaarden has a packed agenda, not forgetting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – a seismic event that heralded a new global age and with it global challenges. It’s an interesting time for diplomats.