Francisco Gaztelu Mezquiriz is the Director of the North Africa Directorate within the Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf (DG MENA). Previously, he served as Director of the Southern Neighbourhood and Türkiye Directorate in the former Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), following his role as Head of the Migration Unit within the same Directorate General. His extensive experience includes positions as Head of the Irregular Migration and Return Policy Unit at DG Migration and Home Affairs, Head of Unit for the Multi-Annual Financial Framework, Budget, and Agencies, as well as Assistant to the Director-General for Asia Pacific. He has also served as Deputy Head of Unit for the Middle East and Deputy Head of Cabinet to the Vice-President for the Internal Market, Defence, and Space. Mr Gaztelu has a background in engineering and microeconomics.