José Antonio Santano Clavero
Born in 1965 in Irun (Gipuzkoa), he studied at the Leka-Enea public school and completed his secondary education at the Pío Baroja Institute. He holds a law degree from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Married with two children, he is a sports enthusiast and played for various local football teams.
José Antonio Santano Clavero has been the mayor of Irun continuously since 2002. He is an advocate for friendly and sustainable cities and spearheaded the implementation of the Ciudad30 initiative in Irun 10 years ago, which was a pioneer in this area and featured the first 100% electric urban bus line. He is a daily public transport user and an avid cyclist.
He began his political career in 1983 as a councilor in the Irun City Council at the age of 18, making him the youngest councilor in Spain at the time. He held this position until 1988. After working for two years at the consulting firm Arthur Andersen as an Auditor and Legal Advisor, he returned to politics in 1991 as the Regional Deputy for Youth and Sports. In the following term, he was part of the regional government team as Director of Economy and Tourism.
From 1999 to 2002, he served as the First Deputy Mayor of Irun, with responsibilities in the Departments of Presidency and Economy and Finance. During this period, he also served as President of the Bidasoa Activa Local Development Agency.
Additionally, from March 2002 to May 2003, he held a key position in the Executive Committee of the PSE-EE, serving as Secretary for Economy and Employment. He is currently a member of the PSE-EE Executive Committee.
He has also held various other significant roles, including:
President of the Commission for Transport, Sustainable Mobility, and Safety of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and Vice President of EUDEL in several terms.
President of the Ficoba Trade Fair Venue.
President of Bidasoa Oarso Industrialdea, a company promoting Basque industry.
President of Zaisa, the entity managing cross-border logistics in Irun.
President of Servicios de Txingudi, which oversees water supply and sanitation, urban waste management, and street cleaning in the municipalities of Irun and Hondarribia.