Mr. Diego Escalona Paturel was accredited on September 13, 2024, as the Ambassador of the European Union to the Central African Republic. Before joining the Central African Republic, Mr. Escalona Paturel held the position of Head of Unit – Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union in Burkina Faso.

Between 2018 and 2022, Mr. Escalona Paturel was seconded in the interest of service to the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in Barcelona, serving as Director of Operations and Partnerships. From 2014 to 2018, he was Head of Cooperation in Egypt, and from 2010 to 2014, in Lebanon.

Mr. Escalona Paturel began his professional career in the private sector, working for the Barcelona General Water Company (AGBAR Group). Before joining the European institutions in 2006, he was a technical assistant first with the National Authorizing Officer of the EDF in Gabon and then in Equatorial Guinea.

Mr. Diego Escalona Paturel holds dual Spanish and French nationality, is married, and has two children. He is a civil engineer (ETSICCP of Barcelona) and holds a postgraduate degree in international relations (University of St Andrews).