Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs
| Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs | |
|---|---|
| Subsecretario de Asuntos Exteriores | |
Incumbent since 28 August 2024Xavier Martí Martí | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretariat of Foreign Affairs | |
| Style | The Most Excellent (formal) Mr. Under-Secretary (informal) |
| Nominator | The Foreign Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Formation | 16 June 1834 |
| First holder | Andrés Villalba |
| Website | exteriores.gob.es |
The under-secretary of foreign affairs, called in the past under-secretary of state, is a government official within the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for assisting the minister in the daily management of the department. In this regard, the under-secretary supervises the department's policies concerning legal and consular assistance, human resources, protocol, budget and training of new diplomats. As responsible for human resources, the under-secretary is the head of the Diplomatic Service and has the rank and honors of ambassador. It is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the foreign minister.
Until the establishment of the position of secretary of state for foreign affairs in 1979, the under-secretary was second-in-command to the minister, having political responsibilities. Nowadays, it is a technical position, held by a diplomat or a senior civil servant. This position is comparable to the permanent secretary in some countries or the Under Secretary of State for Management in the United States.
The under-secretary is the chancellor of the Ministry's orders: the Order of Isabella the Catholic and the Order of Civil Merit.