(BRUSSELS) - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has named former Greek foreign minister Stavros Lambrinidis as the EU's special representative for human rights, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

The decision is to be made official on Wednesday, the sources said.

The new job is aimed at giving a higher profile to human rights within EU foreign policy.

Lambrinidis, who is 50 years old, was competing for the job against France's François Zimeray, its human rights ambassador, and Finland's Astrid Thors, a former European affairs minister.