Fernando Sampedro Marcos (Palencia, 1979) was appointed State Secretary for the European Union at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on 19 December 2023.
He holds a degree in Market Research and Techniques and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Valladolid, where he an end-of-degree award and won a secondary prize in the Arquímedes National Research Awards. He later obtained a master's degree in international management from the Centre for Economic and Commercial Studies (CECO).
He has attended courses at different institutions, including on International Negotiations at the European Commission, on the European Diplomatic Programme at the European External Action Service, on Electoral Observation at the Diplomatic School and on International Organizations at CECO. He has also completed courses abroad on Development (London School of Economics, United Kingdom), International Economics (University of Skövde, Sweden) and International Business (London Guildhall University, United Kingdom).
He has more than 20 years of experience in European affairs and international relations. Prior to his appointment as State Secretary, he worked as a civil servant at the European Commission for over ten years (currently on leave), working in the Cabinet of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and in the Secretariat-General's Strategic External Policy Unit [PCSA1] (including G7 and G20).
He worked for four years at the European Parliament as Foreign Affairs Adviser. Previously, he worked for six years at the Economic and Commercial Offices of the Spanish Embassies in Chile and Denmark, and at the Territorial Directorates for Economy and Trade in La Rioja and Castilla y León.