List of ambassadors of Spain to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The permanent delegate of Spain to the OECD, officially called ambassador head of the Permanent Delegation of Spain to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is the official representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the OECD.

Spain, under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, participated in some meetings of the today defunct European Organization for Agricultural Cooperation (1948–1955). Due to the merger of this organization with the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC), Spain participated in the merger meetings and was allowed to participate since January 1955 in those OEEC bodies regarding agriculture and food. In January 1956, an examination process was initiated to determine Spain economic status and how to increase its participation in the organization. It was decided to give Spain the status of associated member —like Canada, Japan and the United States–, which was completed in early 1958. Spain became a full member on 20 July 1959 and, later, it was one of the founding members of the current OECD.

Permanent Delegation Unlike other ambassadors, the OECD ambassador represents Spanish economic interests, and these are exclusive responsibility of the foreign minister, through the Directorate-General for Economic Diplomacy, which designs, coordinates and implements Spanish multilateral economic relations, including the OECD.

As of 2025, the Permanent Delegation is composed by:

The Head of the Permanent Delegation (or Permanent Delegate), with rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. The permanent delegate personally represents Spain before the OECD Council and coordinates the rest of the delegation. The Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation, who replaces the head of mission when necessary and represents Spain before the executive committee and the External Relations Committee. The Counsellors, who head specialized offices and assist the representatives in their area of competence. There are currently ten offices: 1. Development Cooperation, 2. Education, 3. Labor and Social Security, 4. Trade, 5. Tourism, 6. Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 7. Ecological Transition, 8. Economic, 9. Information and 10. Finance. The Permanent Delegation also has a Chancellery and administrative support staff.

List of ambassadors NameRankTermPedro Argüelles ArmadaHead of Delegation1955–1958José Núñez IglesiasHead of Delegation1958–1964José Aragonés VilaHead of Delegation1965–1970Francisco Javier Elorza y Echániz3rd Marqués de NervaAmbassadorHead of Delegation1970–1973Francisco Javier Vallaure Fernández-PeñaAmbassadorHead of Delegation1973–1978Tomás Chávarri y del RiveroAmbassadorHead of Delegation1978–1983José Vicente Torrente SecorunAmbassadorHead of Delegation1983–1986José Antonio López ZatónAmbassadorHead of Delegation1987–1990Eloy Ybáñez BuenoAmbassadorHead of Delegation1990–1993Claudio AranzadiAmbassadorHead of Delegation1993–1996José Luis Feito HigueruelaAmbassadorHead of Delegation1996–2000Elena Pisonero RuizAmbassadorHead of Delegation2000–2004Fernando Ballestero DíazAmbassadorHead of Delegation2004–2008Cristina NarbonaAmbassadorHead of Delegation2008–2011Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner RodríguezAmbassadorHead of Delegation2011–2015José Ignacio WertAmbassadorHead of Delegation2015–2018Manuel EscuderoAmbassadorHead of Delegation2018–2024Ximo PuigAmbassadorHead of Delegation2024–pres.

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