Miguel Moratinos

Miguel Ángel Moratinos graduated in law and political science from the Complutense University of Madrid. In 1974, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Four years later, he became director of the coordination section for Eastern Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A year later, he was appointed ambassador to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until 1984. This year, he was appointed political advisor at the Spanish Embassy in Rabat, Morocco, and remained in that position until 1987. Following his diplomatic career, he returned to Spain as Deputy Director General for North Africa of the Ministry between 1987 and 1991, before being appointed Director General of Cooperation with the Arab World until 1993. Subsequently, until 1996, he held the position of Director General of Foreign Policy for Africa and the Middle East. In June 1996, Miguel Moratinos was appointed Spanish Ambassador to Israel. He must resign in December following his appointment as European Union Special Envoy to the Middle East for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He remained in office for six and a half years, resigning in June 2003. On March 14, 2004, he was elected deputy of the province of Cordoba in the legislative elections. On April 18, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in the first government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In the legislative elections of March 9, 2008, he was reelected representative of Cordoba, in second position on the list led by Carmen Calvo, former Minister of Culture. On April 14, he was reappointed to his ministerial post in the second Zapatero cabinet, a position he held until 2010.