- Born on 13 February 1935 in Madrid (Spain)

- Nationality: Spanish

- Doctor of Law

- Member of the Spanish Diplomatic Service (since 1960)

- Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1976‒1980)

- Senator by royal appointment in the Constituent Assembly(1977‒1979)

- Member of Parliament for Guipúzcoa (1979)

- Secretary General of the Council of Europe (1984)

- Chairman of the Joint Congress‒Senate Committee for European Affairs in the Spanish Parliament (1993)

- Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Institutional Affairs (1993)

- Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for Transport and Energy (1994‒1996)

- European Commission Representative at the Intergovernmental Conference for the revision of the Maastricht Treaty (1996)

- Secretary (2001‒2009) and President (since 2009) of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences

- In the private sector, has served as President of the FCC, Advisor for Acerinox and Repsol, and is currently Advisor for FCC and Barclays Bank