Eduardo González
José Pascual Marco has released a video in which he bids farewell to his post as Spain’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, a position he will be replaced by by Emma Aparici, who will assume the role of special ambassador for the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.
“After four and a half years of representing Spain in the United Kingdom, it is time to say goodbye and thank you. It has been an incredible journey,” says José Pascual Marco in a video shared on social media.
“I am sad to leave, but I am taking with me so many friends and experiences that they will last a lifetime,” he continued. “I have traveled all over the United Kingdom, I have met wonderful people everywhere, and I have found love for Spain everywhere,” he affirmed.
“Spain and the United Kingdom share many things, but above all, we are united by our people, by our friendship, by our shared vision of the future,” continued José Pascual Marco, who acknowledged the “400,000 British citizens living in my country” and the Spanish citizens living in the United Kingdom, who are “the strongest foundation for a relationship that has grown in recent years.”
“Thank you very much to the Spanish citizens living in the United Kingdom. You are a great example of responsibility, of affection for the country that welcomes you, and also of patriotism for your country, for Spain,” the ambassador continued, this time in Spanish.
“With your efforts, you contribute to the progress of both countries,” he affirmed. “It has been a privilege to serve you these years, and I believe that, right now, the relationship is at a high point, and I am confident that it will become even stronger in the future, primarily thanks to your talent and your work,” he concluded.
A graduate in Law and Philosophy from the Complutense University of Madrid and a member of the Diplomatic Corps since 1983, José Pascual Marco has dedicated a significant part of his long diplomatic career to the European Union, both in Madrid and Brussels.
Marco served as Consul General in Melbourne, Deputy Director General of the Planning and Evaluation Office, responsible for Spanish non-governmental cooperation between 1990 and 1993, Head of the Spanish Trade Office in Turkey (1993-96), Deputy Head of Mission at the Spanish Embassy in South Africa (1996-99), and Counselor at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union (1999-2001).
In 2003, he was appointed Spain’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo. From 2006 to 2010, he served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C. From 2010 to 2015, he was Spain’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the European Union, and between 2015 and 2017, he was Director General of Cultural Policy and Industries and the Book at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
In 2017, he was appointed Director General of Coordination of Common Policies and General Affairs of the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From August 2021 until now, he has served as Spain’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, where he will be replaced by Emma Aparici. On December 2nd, he was appointed by the Council of Ministers as Special Ambassador for the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.