Visit of the students to the US Consulate in Barcelona

The United States General Consulate in Barcelona is located near the CEI, on Reina Elisenda Street in Sarrià (Barcelona). On December 19, the Masters in Diplomacy and International Public Service students had the opportunity to visit it and to talk with the General Consul Marcos Mandojana, accompanied by professor Jordi Sellarés, of the subject Diplomatic and Consular Law.

The United States General Consulate in Barcelona is located near the CEI, on Reina Elisenda Street in Sarrià (Barcelona). On December 19, the students of Master in Diplomacy and International Public Service had the opportunity to visit it and to talk with the General Consul Marcos Mandojana, accompanied by Professor Jordi Sellarés, of the subject Diplomatic and Consular Law. The Consul received the students with several papers in hand: he was reviewing the new National Security Strategy, approved that same day by Donald Trump.

The main mission of the Consulate, said Marcos Mandojana to the students, is to help American citizens living in Spain, which are approximately 1 million people. Under this main objective, the consulate has several lines of action. In the political part, they are in charge of following the current affairs of their jurisdiction -Cataluña, Aragón and Andorra- and correctly informing Washington. In the economic part, the Consulate helps American companies and local companies that invest in the United States; also collaborates with police forces when necessary, in relation to security.

During question time, students took the opportunity to ask about social and economic issues, such as the situation of Catalan politics and US companies; however, personal questions were also raised, such as the decision to be a diplomat. Marcos Mandojana began his medical studies, but he met an ambassador and convinced him. “For me, there is no better job than this,” he said.

The daily functions that are developed in the Consulate, answered the Consul in one of the questions, they have to prioritize: “Now we are focused on the elections on Friday, to inform Washington well, and it is not easy”. Regarding the change of presidency from Barack Obama to Donald Trump, he affirmed that the work does not vary in the Consulate, since they are changes that affect more directly in other countries.

They also talked about issues such as gender equality in the profession. “At the entry level, it’s 50/50, but in the top management is not fair,” he said in Consul. In addition, there were questions about the less stable destinations to work, the relations with the other consular bodies, the benefits of the World Mobile Congress or the presence of the Consulate in Aragón.