EUROPE WITHOUT U.S. AMBASSADORS UNTIL LATE SPRING OR SUMMER

The United States has 170 embassies and 11 missions other than an Embassy headed by a chief of mission (OSCE, UNVIE, USOAS, USOECD, USEU, USUN, USNATO, USUN Geneva, USAU, ASEAN, and US Mission to Somalia). About 30 percent of these posts are encumbered by political/noncareer appointees (about 50 ambassadors), while the remaining 70 percent are filled by career diplomats.

The Trump’s transition staff has issued a blanket edict requiring politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day 20 January), and the mandate was issued “without exceptions. All political appointees, including ambassadors “serve at the pleasure of the president.” All appointees of the outgoing administration are expected to leave by the time a new president is sworn into office on January 20.

President-elect Trump needs to appoint about 50 ambassadorships as he assume office in two weeks. Based on time required to vet nominees, process security clearance, training, and Senate confirmation, the firsts of the new ambassadors may not get even to post until late spring or summer.  

The following U.S. Embassies in Europe will be without Senate-confirmed Ambassadors

1. Austria (Eugene Young ,Deputy Chief of Mission)
2. Belgium (Matthew Lussenhop,DCM)
3. Czech Republic (Kelly Adams-Smith,DCM)
4. Denmark (Laura Lochman, DCM)
5. European Union (Adam M. Shub, DCM)
6. Finland (Donna Ann Welton,DCM)
7. France & Monaco (Uzra Zeya,DCM)
8. Germany (Kent Logsdon, DCM)
9. Holy See (Louis L. Bono, DCM)
10. Hungary (David J. Kostelancik,DCM)
11. Ireland (Reece Smyth,DCM)
12. Italy & San Marino, (Kelly Degnan,DCM)
13. Luxembourg (Alison Shorter-Lawrence,DCM)
14. Netherlands (Shawn Crowley,DCM)
15. Norway (Jim DeHart,DCM)
16. Portugal (Herro Mustafa,DCM)
17. Spain & Andorra (Krishna R. Urs,DCM)
18. Sweden (David E. Lindwall,DCM)
19. Switzerland and Liechtenstein (Tara Feret Erath,DCM)
20. United Kingdom (Lewis Lukens, DCM)

But this does not mean that posts will go “empty”.  Deputy Ambassadors who are career diplomats will step up as Chargé d’Affaires (CDAs) until the new appointees get to posts.  Maybe it will take six months, maybe eight. No one knows at this point  how fast the Senate can get them confirmed, though it would be a shorter wait if the new nominees are from the career service.

It should be pointed out that Chargé d'Affaires usually are not in the position to do anything other than to maintain continuity. That is to say, they're very unlikely to be given themselves, individually, any kind of instructions to negotiate something new. They really want just to maintain things progressing as they have been.