The Diplomat
Spanish embassies abroad will celebrate the National Day on 12 October in a restrained way, in most cases as a result of the pandemic, The Diplomat learned from diplomatic sources.
In 2020, diplomatic missions were instructed by the ministry to suspend traditional receptions in order to avoid large gatherings.
This year, although the situation has improved, the instructions sent to embassies give them the freedom to organise some kind of face-to-face event, if they see fit given the current situation in each country. As a result, some ambassadors have opted not to hold receptions, since no one is holding them in the country where they are accredited, while others have chosen to organise events to which few people are invited (part of the Spanish community, ambassadors of the European Union, some of the country’s personalities, etc.).
In order to hold these receptions, ambassadors will have to draw on their representation expenses, a large part of which have not been used in most cases, due to less public activity throughout the year, also because of the pandemic.
In Spain, in view of the reduction in cases of coronavirus and the lifting of restrictions, some foreign embassies are holding receptions to celebrate their National Days, but the number of attendees has been significantly limited and they are always held outdoors.
