Mr. Santer was born on 6 December 1952. He holds a masters degree in history and German from the University of Vienna which he obtained in 1978. He subsequently graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in 1980.

He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980 as an Attaché. From 1980 to 1983, he was detached to the Second Follow-up Meeting to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Madrid. Then, from 1983 to 1988 he served at the Luxembourg Embassy in Paris as First Counsellor as well as Deputy Permanent Representative to the OECD and as liaison officer to UNESCO. In 1988, Mr. Santer was appointed Chargé d’Affaires in Madrid. Then, in December 1988, he returned to Luxembourg where he served as Director of Budget, Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Santer was appointed Ambassador to China and from 1994, Ambassador to Vietnam with residency in Beijing. From 1995 to 2000, he served as Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. From 1995 to 2002, he was Ambassador to Austria, Hungary and Slovenia with residency in Vienna and Permanent Representative to the United Nations agencies in Vienna.

From 2002 until his nomination as Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the OECD, Mr. Santer was Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also held the position of Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Coordination Committee for the Installation of European Institutions and Agencies. From 2004 he was Ambassador to the Holy See with residency in Luxembourg.