Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union

The ambassador permanent representative of Spain to the European Union is the official representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the institutions of the European Union. As such, it is the official responsible for carrying out the guidelines established by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or, by delegation, by the Secretary of State for the European Union.^[1]

Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union
Spanish Permanent Representation
Incumbent Marcos Alonso Alonso since 21 July 2021
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretariat of State for the European Union
Style	The Most Excellent
Member of	Committee of Permanent Representatives
Reports to	Secretary of State for the European Union
Residence	Boulevard du Régent, 52 1000 Brussels
Nominator	The Foreign Minister
Appointer	The Monarch
Inaugural holder	Carlos de Miranda y Quartín, 4th Count of Casa Miranda
Formation	9 December 1960; 64 years ago (9 December 1960)
Deputy	Deputy Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union
Website	Spanish Mission to the EU

Permanent Representation

The Permanent Representation depends administratively and economically on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Secretariat of State for the European Union. The law defines it as "the accredited body, representative and management, by Spain to the European Union and ensure the presence of Spain in the institutions and bodies dependent on it."

The mission is headed by the Ambassador Permanent Representative. As a collaborator and substitute for the Ambassador, there is a Deputy Ambassador Permanent Representative, who is also appointed by the Government, at the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and after hearing the Interministerial Committee for the European Union Affairs. The representation is also made up of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the Political and Security Committee (PSC).

Apart from the aforementioned senior positions, the representation is composed of lesser diplomatic personnel such as advisers, embassy secretaries and attachés, who are freely appointed by the minister. Non-diplomatic personnel are appointed by the foreign minister at the proposal of the ministerial department that requests it.^[1]

Interministerial Committee for the European Union Affairs

Following Spain's accession into the European Communities, the Interministerial Committee for European Union Affairs was established in September 1985. The committee's work focuses on coordinating the actions of the General State Administration in matters related to the European Union and examining and resolving, where appropriate, EU affairs that affect more than one ministerial department and do not require referral to the Government Delegated Committee for Economic Affairs. If any of these issues arise, due to their importance or because a member of the committee requests it, they must be referred to the aforementioned delegated committee.^[2]

The Interministerial Committee is chaired by the Secretary of State for the European Union, while the First Deputy Chair is the Secretary of State for Economy and Business Support. This committee also includes the other senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for European policy, as well as the undersecretaries of all government departments.^[2]

History

Origin

Ambassador Carlos de Miranda y Quartín, 4th Count of Casa Miranda (left), presenting credentials to President Walter Hallstein. 1960

The origin of the Spanish Representation to the European Union dates back to 1960, when Carlos de Miranda y Quartín, 4th Count of Casa Miranda, ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, was entrusted with representing Spanish interests within the European Economic Community. He also represented Spain within the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community.

Since 1965, this position was separated from the Embassy in Brussels, with the former trade minister, Alberto Ullastres, being appointed ambassador.^[3] Ullastres enjoyed great autonomy in managing European diplomatic relations^[4] and, under his leadership, important treaties such as the Preferential Trade Agreement between Spain and the European Economic Community of 1970 were negotiated.

Later, prime minister Adolfo Suárez entrusted Raimundo Bassols with representing and negotiating, together with minister Marcelino Oreja, 1st Marquess of Oreja, Spain's entry into the organization. It was they who, in July 1977, formally requested accession to the Communities,^[5] initiating long negotiations that would culminate years later, during the mandate of ambassador Gabriel Ferrán de Alfaro.

Representation to the EU

Spanish ambassador to the EU, Francisco Javier Elorza Cavengt, handshaking Commissioner Hans van den Broek, 1995

In late 1985, Spain and the European Communities finalized the negotiations for the admission of Spain in the Communities. The Accession Treaty was signed on 12 June 1985. At the same time, the Spanish government transformed the Mission of Spain to the European Communities into the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Communities, similar to the diplomatic missions of the rest of the member states of the European Union.^[1]

With the signing of the Treaty of the European Union in Maastricht in 1992, the European Communities disappear and the current European Union is properly created, so the name of the Permanent Representation is changed to the current Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union in December 1995.^[6]

Spain has presided over the Council of the European Union on five occasions: January–June 1989, July–December 1995, January–June 2002, January–June 2010 and July–December 2023.^[7]

List of ambassadors

For the purposes of this list, the date of publication of the appointment or dismissal in the Official State Gazette is taken into account.

Ambassador (Birth–Death)			Term of office			Prime Minister (Tenure)		Head of State (Tenure)	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Duration
1		Carlos de Miranda y Quartín Count of Casa Miranda (1895–1968)	9 December 1960[a]	11 November 1964	3 years and 338 days		Francisco Franco (1939–1975)		[8]
2		José Núñez Iglesias (1897–1984)	21 November 1964	8 October 1965	321 days				[9][10]
3		Alberto Ullastres (1914–2001)	8 October 1965	13 November 1976	11 years and 35 days				[11][12]
							Luis Carrero Blanco (1973)
							Carlos Arias Navarro (1973–1976)
								Juan Carlos I (1975–2014)
							Adolfo Suárez (1976–1981)
4		Raimundo Bassols (born 1926)	13 November 1976	28 February 1981	4 years and 107 days				[13][14]
5		Gabriel Ferrán de Alfaro (born 1932)	12 June 1981	28 November 1985	4 years and 169 days		Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (1981–1982)		[15][16]
							Felipe González (1982–1996)
6		Carlos Westendorp (born 1937)	31 December 1985	16 March 1991	5 years and 75 days				[17][18]
7		Camilo Barcia García-Villamil (1937–2018)	28 March 1991	27 July 1994	3 years and 121 days				[19][20]
8		Francisco Javier Elorza y Cavengt Marquess of Nerva (born 1945)	27 July 1994	24 June 2000	5 years and 333 days				[21][22]
							José María Aznar (1996–2004)
9		Francisco Javier Conde de Saro (born 1946)	24 June 2000	7 September 2002	2 years and 75 days				[23][24]
10		Carlos Bastarreche (born 1950)	7 September 2002	18 September 2010	8 years and 11 days				[25][26]
							José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004–2011)
11		Luis Planas (born 1952)	5 October 2010	31 December 2011	1 year and 87 days				[27][28]
12		Alfonso Dastis (born 1955)	31 December 2011	4 November 2016	4 years and 309 days		Mariano Rajoy (2011–2018)		[29][30]
								Felipe VI (2014–present)
13		Juan Pablo García-Berdoy (born 1961)	3 December 2016	21 July 2021	4 years and 230 days				[31][32]
							Pedro Sánchez (2018–present)
14		Marcos Alonso Alonso (born 1970)	21 July 2021	Incumbent	4 years and 76 days				[33]