A relative of Zapatero, EU special representative for the southern Mediterranean?
(BRUSSELS2) Bernardino León Gross, who is currently secretary general of the government of Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero, could be the future special representative for the southern Mediterranean. In any case, he is the only declared candidate, supported by his government. And he seems, according to several indications, to have the preference of the High Representative of the EU, Catherine Ashton. Although some contradictory information has been given, this special representative should indeed chair the task force on the Mediterranean which has just been set up.
A career diplomat, Leon has a good knowledge of these files. But he is also a politician, member of the PSOE. This "ideal son" was considered until recently as a "Zapatero bis" capable otherwise to succeed the current Prime Minister at least to have a ministerial post in sight. Between 1998 and 2001, he was chief of staff and spokesperson for Miguel Angel Moratinos, then serving as the EU's special representative for the Middle East peace process, before taking up the post of secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (2004-2008).
Born in 1964, he studied first at the Jesuit college Saint-Stanislas de Kostka in Malaga, then at the Law University of Malaga (where he met his wife Regina Reyes Gallur) and followed the course of international relations at the University of Barcelona under Rodríguez Carrión, who was the adviser to Carlos Westendorp (Gonzales' foreign minister). He entered the diplomatic career in 1990 and cut his teeth in the Spanish embassies in Liberia, Algeria, Greece and at the permanent representation to the EU in Brussels. With the musician Daniel Barenboïm, he created in 2004 the Barenboïm-Said Foundation for Music and Thought, established in Seville. He speaks French (learned at Panthéon-Sorbonne, please), English (of course), Arabic as well as notions of Greek, practices climbing and aviation and has three children.
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