ABOUT US
About the Ambassador
Born in 1969 in Washington DC. Studied Law in Madrid. Joined the Spanish diplomatic service in 1994. His previous destinations and positions held are:
- Since September 2020, Ambassador of the European Union in Chile.
- Ambassador of the European Union in Bolivia.
- Ambassador of Spain in Nicaragua.
- Chief of Cabinet of the Presidency of the Spanish Constitutional Court.
- Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Spain in Brussels.
- Counsellor at the Embassies of Spain in Ecuador, P.R. China and Chile.
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León de la Torre Krais, Ambassador of the European Union to Chile.
Copyright: DEL EU Chile
Message from the Ambassador
For the EU, Chile is a key partner in building a more democratic, secure and prosperous region
Dear visitor,
Welcome to the website of the Delegation of the European Union in Chile, which I hope you’ll find interesting.
Chile and the European Union are very close partners who share historical and cultural ties, as well as values and a common vision of the challenges we both face, whether it is the defence of democracy and human rights in the world, the fight against climate change or the consolidation of multilateralism.
This affinity has led the EU and Chile to sign the region's first bilateral association agreement in 2002, and to the signing of a new Advanced Framework Agreement in 2023. This Agreement is more ambitious and includes priorities such as sustainable development, greater participation for civil society and transparency, and gender equality in trade, among many new aspects.
The EU is the first investor in Chile, the third largest trading partner and is promoting the development of green hydrogen through an important Team Europe project, together with the Member States and within the framework of the Global Gateway investment agenda.
This high point in bilateral relations was clearly expressed in the visit of Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen to Chile in June 2023.
I would also like to highlight the people-to-people links that bring the EU and Chile together. These links can be found in the hundreds of thousands of citizens on both continents who share Chilean and European nationality, in the student exchanges and the more than 1000 Chileans who have participated in an Erasmus program, and in the solidarity that Chile showed to Europe in its darkest moments and which Europe returned by welcoming thousands of refugees in its embassies in 1973, a solidarity we commemorated in 2023.
In these pages you will find more detailed information on the different aspects of our bilateral relationship, as well as the links to access the pages of Member State Embassies, both the 18 resident embassies and the concurrent ones.
On these websites, you will also find consular information and travel recommendations, which will be useful for visitors, who must take into account the security conditions and other aspects in each part of the country.
León de la Torre Krais, Ambassador of the European Union to Chile.