He holds a PhD in Philosophy and Arts and a degree in Law. He has been a lecturer in Cultural Anthropology at university and, in his political activity, a member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies for five legislatures. His main areas of interest have been the European Union, the Mediterranean countries, the Maghreb and the Middle East. He has participated as an electoral observer in Russia, Eastern European countries and the Palestinian Territories. In the Junta de Andalucía he was Director General of Migration Policies and Secretary General of External Action. Finally, he was Director of the Instituto Cervantes in Prague.