COPY LINK

For members

POLITICS

Who’s who in Spain’s new government?

Spain has a new set of ministers for the next four years. So who are the key players in Sánchez's reformed government, the familiar faces, the reshuffles, the new ministers and those who got the axe?

Published: 20 November 2023 16:27 CET
Updated: 25 November 2023 08:36 CET

Several ministers from Sánchez's previous tenure with hold onto their roles for the next four-year government. Photos: Various photographers/AFP

Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was sworn in for another term last week despite and thanks to the Catalan amnesty controversy, unveiled a new cabinet on Monday which maintains many of his ministers in their posts.

Despite having vowed to slim down his cabinet, the 51-year-old kept the number of ministerial posts at 22, 12 of them headed by women.

Sánchez has also recovered the four vice-presidencies of his first tenure, all of which will be covered by female ministers.

Hard-left coalition partner Sumar will be responsible for five ministries, the most important one being the Health Ministry.

Upon announcing his ministers, Sánchez said his cabinet was made up of “people capable of managing but also of reaching agreements and explaining them publicly”, made up “young talent” and “experience”.

What seems clear is that Sánchez has overall preferred to surround himself with loyal ministers who’ve stuck by his side since he first won the premiership in 2018, and his exclusion of radical left Podemos ministers suggests he will look to avoid similar frictions with its new hard-left partner Sumar.

The ministers staying in Spain’s new government

Economic Affairs Minister and First Deputy PM: Nadia Calviño

The capable economist, fluent in English and a mainstay on the European political stage, is awaiting a position as head of the European Investment Bank, meaning her tenure as number two in Sánchez’s new government could be short-lived, and possibly filled by José Luis Escrivá.

Nadia Calviño will remain in her role of Economic Affairs Minister for now. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)

Minister of Labour and Second Deputy PM: Yolanda Díaz

The head of Spain’s new hard-left Sumar, which broke away from Podemos and has now replaced them as the PSOE’s junior partner in power, has been described by detractors as a ‘communist dressed in Dior’. Nevertheless, her affability and outspokenness have made her the most popular Spanish candidate in the polls before the July 2023 general election.

Yolanda Díaz will in principle remain as Spain’s Labour Minister for the next four years. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

Minister of Ecological Transition and Deputy PM: Teresa Ribera

Spain’s ongoing environment minister recently went viral after riding a bike whilst escorted by security vehicles after allegedly flying into a climate summit by private jet (the latter turned out not be true). Ribera will continue to be in charge of Spain’s climate change fighting measures.

Minister of Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images via AFP)

Minister of Budget and Civil Service and Fourth Deputy PM: María Jesús Montero

Budget minister María Jesús Montero is known for her strong Andalusian accent as well as being the person who delivers fiscal news to Spaniards, from the ‘solidarity’ tax on millionaires to changes to capital gains. Her new role as fourth Deputy Prime Minister sees her move up within Sánchez’s government.

Spain’s Minister of Budget María Jesús Montero. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

Minister of Justice and Presidency: Félix Bolaños

Bolaños has built up a reputation as Sánchez’s man for everything, having already held different roles in government since 2018. In his new position as Justice Minister (whilst keeping that of Presidency), he will have to take on the challenge of the controversial Catalan amnesty and the Socialists’ deteriorated relationship with Spain’s judicial system.

Felix Bolaños was previously Spain’s Minister of the Presidency. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)

Minister of Foreign Affairs: José Manuel Albares

Albares will continue to be Spain’s diplomat in-chief for the next four years if everything goes as planned. He’s behind Spain’s improving relationship with Morocco and will remain the face and voice of Spain during geopolitical crises and discussions.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP)

Minister of Defence: Margarita Robles

Robles, who’s been Spain’s Defence Minister since 2018, is the most valued of Spain’s ministers according to surveys by Spanish think tank CIS, even among right-wing voters. The coordination of Spain’s military during the pandemic, periods of wildfires and the help her ministry provided to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion have ensured her popularity within and outside of Spain’s armed forces.

Minister of the Interior: Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez

Spain’s Home Affairs Minister since 2018 has been blamed for his handling of the country’s migration crisis but this hasn’t prevented Sánchez from keeping him in the role, even though the regional parties that the PM pandered to in order to get an absolute majority have opposed Marlaska’s reappointment.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA / AFP)

Minister of Education, Sports and Government Spokesperson: Pilar Alegría

Alegría is the only ongoing minister which will acquire a triple role in government, having been chosen by Sánchez as his Government Spokesperson and Sports Minister, as well as holding onto her position as Education Minister.

Education Minister Pilar Alegría will take on two new roles. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)

Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda: Isabel Rodríguez

Rodríguez will be swapping her role as Government Spokesperson to minister responsible for fixing Spain’s ongoing housing crisis, with spiralling rents and social housing one of the biggest concerns among Spaniards.

New Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez. (Photo by Borja Puig de la Bellacasa / LA MONCLOA / AFP)

Minister of Digital Transformation: José Luis Escrivá

Previously in the role of Minister of Social Security and Migration, Escrivá is now in charge of a new ministry which will be responsible for investing billions of euros of EU Recovery funds into companies and systems that make Spain less bureaucratic. He enjoyed middling success in his former role, which was largely focused on making official processes easier, from recruitment to social security delays.

Spain’s Minister of Digital Transformation Jose Luis Escrivá. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)

Two other lower key ministers who will continue to hold their ministerial positions in Sánchez’s government are Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities Diana Morant, and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas.

The ministers leaving Spain’s government

Hard-left party Podemos are the biggest losers in this latest cabinet reshuffle. Even though they only headed two departments previously, the laws Irene Montero and Ione Belarra passed during the previous legislation have all been ground-breaking but flawed, with the country’s sexual consent law passed by the outgoing Equality Minister proving particularly controversial.

Unidas Podemos still have five seats in Parliament, which they may choose to use against the new coalition government for being cut out of power, a “mistake” according to them.

The full list of ministers leaving Spain’s government is as follow:

Minister of Equality: Irene Montero (Podemos)

Minister of Social Rights and Agenda 2030: Ione Belarra (Podemos)

Minister of Justice: Pilar Llop (PSOE)

Minister of Culture and Sports: Miquel Iceta (PSOE)

Minister of Consumer Affairs: Alberto Garzón (IU)

Minister of Universities: Joan Subirats (Catalunya en Comú)

Minister of Health: José Miñones Conde (PSOE)

Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism: Héctor Gómez (PSOE)

Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda: Raquel Sánchez (PSOE)

Spain’s new ministers

The standout news is that Spain’s Health Ministry will be headed by doctor-turned-politician Mónica García, whose party Más Madrid joined forced with Sumar’s collection of left-wing parties.

PSOE newcomers have been handed everything from the key Industry Ministry to the maligned Equality Ministry.

The new ministers in Spain’s government are:

Minister of Transport: Óscar Puente (PSOE)

Minister of Industry: Jordi Hereu (PSOE)

Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory: Ángel Víctor Torres (PSOE)

Minister of Culture: Ernest Urtasun (En Comú Podem/Sumar)

Minister of Health: Mónica García (Más Madrid/Sumar)

Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030: Pablo Bustinduy (Sumar)

Minister of Equality: Ana Redondo (PSOE)

Minister of Social Security and Migration: Elma Saiz (PSOE)

Minister of Children and Youth: Sira Rego (IU/Sumar)

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

INTERVIEW: 'A lot of people think Brexit is done, but it's not for Brits in Europe'

In the early days of 2021, after the United Kingdom had left the EU and completed the final stage of Brexit, many British citizens returned to their home countries in Europe only to face a grilling at the border.

Though the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) technically guaranteed their right to live and work in the countries they’d settled in before Brexit, there was widespread confusion about these fundamental rights and many were treated like new arrivals.

Over time, the chaos at the airports subsided as border officials and airlines were given clearer guidance on the treatment of Brits. But three years later, a number of Brits who live on the continent still face problems when it comes to proving their post-Brexit rights.

This was the reason campaign group British in Europe decided to set up their new EU-funded ICE project. Starting this year in March, it aims to build valuable connections between UK citizens abroad and mentor the next generation of civil rights advocates around the continent. The acronym stands for ‘Inform, Empower, Connect’ and the project’s organisers describe it as “the first project of its kind”.

“It’s a completely innovative project – especially the fact that it’s across so many countries,” Jane Golding, chair of British in Europe and one of the project’s founders, told The Local.

Bringing together groups from 11 EU member states, the project aims to train up volunteers to understand both the Withdrawal Agreement and EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as learning skills like advocacy and communication, using real-life civil rights cases that are referred to British in Europe.

“The ultimate goal is to amplify the messages across the wider group,” said Golding. “You start with the volunteers, they go back to their groups, then the people that we train, they go back and train people. Then they pass on that knowledge to the wider groups, on their Facebook accounts and through social media, and hopefully it all snowballs, not just in their countries but across the EU.”

‘Far-reaching repercussions’

So many years after Brexit, it’s hard to believe that there’s still a need for a project like ICE that empowers Brits to protect their rights. Indeed, the future of groups like British in Europe and regional groups like British in Germany and British in Spain felt uncertain just a year or two ago.

But Golding says there are still serious issues cropping up for Brits in several countries around Europe – they just have a different quality to the problems that arose at the start.

“In some ways it’s needed even more because as we predicted right at the beginning, at the first stage of implementation, you’ve got the more routine cases,” she explained.

“What we’re seeing now is not as many cases, but when the cases come up, they’re complex. They can have such far-reaching repercussions on people’s lives. And of course, memories start to fade. A lot of people think Brexit is already done, but it’s not.”

Volunteers in British in Europe ICE project

The volunteers of the British in Europe ICE project pose for a photo at the kick-off meeting in Brussels on May 21st, 2024. Photo courtesy of Jane Golding

Though the rights set out in the Withdrawal Agreement apply across the continent, different countries have taken different approaches to implementing them.

That means that while in Germany, for example, UK citizens simply had to declare that they lived in the country, people in neighbouring Denmark had to apply for their rights.

This led to a notorious situation in Denmark in which as many as 2,000 Brits were threatened with deportation after not applying in time or completing the right application process. According to Golding, this had a lot to do with the fact that people who arrived in 2020 weren’t given the same information as other UK migrants who arrived before.

In Sweden, meanwhile, the situation is still difficult for many Brits who lived there prior to Brexit.

“There have been issues with an anomalously high numbers of refusals compared to other countries, and they seem to be taking a very strict approach on late applications,” Golding explained.

Portugal has been another difficult case. Although the country opted for a declaratory system where Brits could simply exchange old residence documents for a new ID card after Brexit, reports suggest that the authorities have taken years to issue these cards, leaving many of the some 34,000 Brits in the country in limbo.

“While people are still waiting to have their status confirmed and have their card in their hand, it’s difficult to access a whole range of services, like health services, or applying for jobs or dealing with the authorities, or even going to the bank,” Golding said. “All of these problems just affect people’s lives.”

A French border guard checks a passport at the border

A French border guard checks a passport at the border. Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP

There are also concerns about the EU’s new exit and entry system (EES), due to come into force in October, which is based on biometric documentation.

“We still do not have clear data on how many people in declaratory countries like Germany, where it wasn’t compulsory to apply for the card, don’t actually have a card,” Golding said. “How is that going to play out if it’s a document-based digitalised system?”

A lack of support

In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was still available to support NGOs in Europe helping Brits with their migration and civil rights issues. But that temporary funding soon expired, leaving groups like British in Europe largely on their own.

“The whole point is people’s lives change at very different paces,” Golding said. “And now this project is really going to start to pick up some of those cases and report on those issues, which is really crucial and exciting for the precedent that it sets, and it’s very clearly necessary still, because people don’t just sort their lives in the 18 months that the FCDO chose to supply that funding.”

This feeling of being left alone and increasingly isolated from the UK is one that many Brits in Europe have felt in the aftermath of Brexit. But the upcoming UK election on July 4th could be a game-changer.

This time, following a change in the law, Brits who have lived abroad for more than 15 years will be able to vote for the first time.

Polling station in the UK

A polling station in the UK. Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

When it comes to the election, the message from British in Europe is clear: “Make your voice count now, make your vote count, make sure you use it,” Golding said.

With the June 18th registration deadline fast approaching, BiE is advising UK citizens abroad to apply for a proxy vote as soon as possible, rather than relying on a postal vote from abroad. Since the 15-year rule was abolished on January 16th, more than 100,000 British citizens have registered to vote, according to official statistics. It is unclear how many were registered before the change in the law.

With an estimated 5.5 million Brits currently living abroad – 1.3 million of whom are in the EU – this could have a significant impact on the electoral landscape, Golding says. But most significantly, the change is creating a feeling of connection and belonging that wasn’t there before.

Nurturing this sense of belonging is one of the main goals of ICE.

With these bridges being built, British in Europe hopes to create a network of support that spans across borders.

“Now we’ve met. We’re going to meet,” said Golding. “We know we’re going to meet again in Berlin in October and then we’ll meet again in the new year in 2025 as well. It means a huge amount because even British in Europe, our steering team, we’ve only met physically three times.”

This opens up the possibility of people sharing their knowledge from country to country, Golding explained.

“There is crossover and the reassurance of having that EU wide view and knowing that you’re not alone and knowing that in this country, we managed to get this solution,” she said. “And then you can go back and say to the authorities in your country, well, in that country they did that – all of that helps. It’s really good.”

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!