Carlos Bastarreche is a Spanish diplomat with extensive European experience dating back to 1979. Between 2002 and 2010 he was Spain's Permanent Representative to the European Union. He has also held the office of Spanish Ambassador to France and the United Kingdom.
The Spanish banking sector is set to play a key role in channelling European aid. Credit institutions' networks can provide knowledge of the productive fabric, technological capacity and their geographical outreach. In short, additional distribution and financing capacity that would multiply the effects of the Recovery Plan.
The financial sector has played a key role in channelling monetary policy and public initiatives to stimulate the real economy, maintaining the provision of liquidity to firms and households during the crisis. Measures such as moratoriums (legal and sector-specific), advance payments of pensions and unemployment benefits or financing linked to ICO guarantee lines, highlight the effective contribution made by banks in recent months.
The banking system is set to play an equally important role in the implementation of the approved fiscal stimulus measures. To this end, following the presentation of the España Puede (Spain Can) Recovery Plan, the AEB and CECA have jointly decided to call on the representation of Carlos Bastarreche to promote the collaboration of the banking sector in this key initiative for the modernisation of the Spanish productive fabric.
Carlos Bastarreche, a law graduate, entered the diplomatic service in 1976. Born in Madrid, he has been a privileged witness to the process of European construction. He was secretary at the Consular and Commercial Representation Office in Romania, secretary at the Spanish Mission to the European Communities and adviser to the Secretary of State for Relations with the European Communities. In 1985, he was appointed Deputy Director General of Community Coordination for Institutional Relations and, subsequently, Director General of Community Legal and Institutional Coordination and Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Communities. In 1996, he became Secretary General for Foreign Policy and the European Union, and then Secretary General for European Affairs. From 2002 to 2010 he was Spain's Permanent Representative to the European Union. Between 2010 and 2014 he was Spain's Ambassador to France. He later worked as Head of Institutional Relations for Airbus in Spain. For the past five years he has been Ambassador to the United Kingdom.