Overview
- In an October 17 letter to Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, the Association of Spanish Diplomats reported that 63 of 135 ambassadorial appointments since 2022, or 46%, were not pre-announced.
- The year-by-year tallies cited were 28 announced vs. 42 appointments in 2022, 11 vs. 16 in 2023, 15 vs. 44 in 2024, and 18 vs. 33 in 2025.
- ADE asks the ministry to publish vacancy lists in advance, allow candidacies, and use a collegial commission to select on merit, capacity, and experience.
- EL PAÍS notes there is no regulated access system after a 2017 Supreme Court annulment, and that ambassadors are appointed by the Council of Ministers at the minister’s proposal.
- Recent personnel moves in 2025, including changes in Brussels, Croatia, and South Korea, have drawn criticism in the press, and the ministry’s response to ADE’s demands was not reported.