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"Concern" among diplomats about the blockage in the appointment of ambassadors

2021-02-26T02:31:35.121Z


Representations in London and New Delhi are vacant and the delay in assigning destinations affects all categories


Facade of the Palace of Santa Cruz, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs CLAUDIO ÁLVAREZ

The Spanish Embassy in London (United Kingdom) has been vacant since February 2, when the Government dismissed Ambassador Carlos Bastarreche without naming a replacement.

Bastarreche had retired last November, but agreed to remain in the position for two more months, while the decisive agreement on Gibraltar was negotiated.

The diplomatic legation in the United Kingdom, a key position at a time when the aftermath of Brexit has to be faced, is not unique.

The chair of the Spanish ambassador to India, the second most populous country and one of the seven largest economies in the world, has been empty since, last October, its hitherto head, José Ramón Barañano, retired.

Although both embassies continue to function in the hands of the respective business managers, the ambassador has access to spheres of power that his 'number two' does not reach and, above all, no one at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains the delay in fill those positions.

The ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina will retire in March and the heads of diplomatic missions in Russia and Iran will retire in May.

Throughout this year, another 27 embassies will have to be covered, some as important as those of Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Africa or the representation in the EU Political and Security Committee (COPS) of the EU.

Among the relays planned in 2021 is not that of the Spanish ambassador in Rabat, Ricardo Díez-Hotchleitner.

Despite the fact that she has already broken all the records of seniority (she has been in office for more than five years, when the usual is three or four), the minister has extended it for another year, given the delicate relations with Morocco.

The other mission heads (32 in total) went out to tender last fall, so that those interested could opt for them, although the final decision corresponds to the Council of Ministers, as they are freely appointed appointments.

More than a hundred diplomats of the highest categories (ambassadors, ministers, advisers) applied for these positions, but the ministry has not yet informed who the chosen ones are.

In parallel, the so-called

hype

has been launched

, in which 106 positions abroad of a category lower than ambassador are awarded, from the second headquarters to the Embassy secretariats, to which diplomats of all levels choose.

It is a complex process in which the Career Board intervenes (in which all the categories of the ladder are represented, under the presidency of the undersecretary), which concludes with a non-binding proposal that is usually accepted.

The exception is the so-called "asterisk" destinations, as they are so marked on the list (this year there are four, the second headquarters in Berlin, Rabat and Paris and the cultural council in Rome), whose designation is reserved by the minister.

The problem is that the more than 100 diplomats who have opted for the 32 ambassadorial positions do not know if they have been elected and, if they do not enter the hype, they will be left without a destination abroad.

On the other hand, if they opt for lower-category positions, the best ones will win, as they have more merits;

but they will never occupy them if they finally achieve an Embassy.

The same is true for “asterisk” destinations.

This produces a cascade effect that, from the top of the ladder, ends up affecting the lower echelons.

The Association of Spanish Diplomats (ADE), which groups 64% of the members of the career, has expressed its "concern" about this situation, which generates uncertainty among hundreds of diplomats who do not know if in the coming months they will have to plan their lives professional and family outside of Spain.

The association, which calls for "predictability and tranquility" for diplomats, has sent a letter to the undersecretary of the ministry, María Celsa Nuño, who has claimed to be aware of the problem and has promised to try to solve it, according to the ADE.

Diplomatic sources attribute the blockade to the fact that the holder of the portfolio, Arancha González Laya, does not delegate in personnel matters.

"The minister wants to supervise all decisions and that inevitably produces a bottleneck, given the huge amount of matters that she has to dispatch," the same sources add.

An example of this is that last year, when the hype was already delayed due to the pandemic, the minister wanted to interview, by telematic means, those chosen for asterisk positions, such as the second headquarters in Havana and Caracas.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured last night that the replacement of the ambassadors "is part of institutional normality" and that, "during these processes, the head of mission is not vacant since it is assumed on an interim basis by whoever holds the second leadership".

He added that “the ordinary call for positions abroad [the so-called hype] has a procedure and deadlines set by regulation.

Instead, the appointment of a head of mission [ambassador] is a decision taken by the Council of Ministers within the discretionary power of the Government.

This process is not subject to any deadline.

They are, in short, two totally independent processes of a very different nature ”, he added.

This situation occurs at a time when the regulation of the diplomatic career, the legal framework that regulates appointments abroad, is annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of 2017 (due to a formal defect, since it was not submitted to collective bargaining) and the new text, which is in preparation, has not yet been approved.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2021-02-26

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