Moncloa Chief of Staff | |
---|---|
Director del Gabinete del Presidente del Gobierno | |
Office of the Prime Minister Cabinet of the Prime Minister | |
Style | The Most Excellent |
Reports to | Prime Minister |
Appointer | Monarch |
Formation | July 19, 1976 |
First holder | Carmen Díez de Rivera |
Deputy | Deputy Moncloa Chief of Staff |
Website | La Moncloa |
The Moncloa Chief of Staff, officially called Director of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister, is the most senior political appointee in the Office of the Prime Minister of Spain. The Chief of Staff is appointed by the Prime Minister as its senior aid. This position has no executive authority although it is the principal advisor to the Prime Minister and it coordinates the work action of the different departments of the Government as well as lead the Cabinet Office.
There is not a legal requirement for this role to exist but since Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez in 1976, each Prime Minister has appointed a person of their trust to this role. The current position is regulated in the Royal Decree 419/2018, of June 18, which restructures the Prime Minister's Office.
The first time that this position was created was in 1976, when Carmen Díez de Rivera was appointed Chief of Staff, however, the role was not regulated until 1978, when a short Prime Minister's order integrate it in the Prime Minister's Office and gave it rank of Undersecretary. Its original duties were to assist when the Prime Minister require it. [1]
With the passage of time this role were granted more responsibilities and in 1982, with Prime Minister Felipe González the structure of the Prime Minister's Office was extended creating a Cabinet which the Chief of Staff was leading. The powers of the Chief of Staff were also extended not only to advise the Prime Minister but to gather political information for the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and to know what the different Government's department were doing to get a better coordination among them and the Prime Minister's Office. It was also entrusted with the mission of making reports and studies on any subject entrusted to him. [2]
With the arrival of PM José María Aznar, all mentions to the Deputy Prime Minister were removed (because the Deputy PM was granted with its own Chief of Staff). Aznar also gave the Chief of Staff the rank of Secretary of State. [3]
PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero continue expanding the powers of the Chief of Staff giving him competences over the protocol and security departments of the Prime Minister's Office as well as entrusting him with advice on economic matters. [4]
With PM Rajoy the Chief of Staff reached the height of its power when he was granted with the supervision over the sanitary system of the prime minister's office and with powers over national security matters, when the Deputy Chief of Staff was also named Director of the Homeland Security Department. [5]
PM Sánchez preserved all the powers that Rajoy granted to the Chief of Staff with a little changes because even when the Department of Homeland Security depended from the prime minister's chief of staff, the direction of the same was granted to an independent official (a military in this case) an not to the Deputy Chief of Staff. [6]
The current officials of the Prime Minister's Cabinet are the following: [7]
# | Chief of Staff | Years | Prime Minister |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Carmen Díez de Rivera [8] [9] | 1976–1977 | Adolfo Suárez |
2 | Alberto Aza Arias | 1977–1981 | |
3 | Eugenio Galdón Brugarolas | 1981-1982 | Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo |
4 | Roberto Dorado Zamorano | 1982–1993 | Felipe González |
5 | Antonio Zabalza Martí | 1993–1995 | |
6 | José Enrique Serrano Martínez | 1995–1996 | |
7 | Carlos Aragonés Mendiguchía | 1996–2004 | José María Aznar |
8 | José Enrique Serrano Martínez | 2004–2011 | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero |
9 | Jorge Moragas Sánchez | 2011–2017 | Mariano Rajoy Brey |
10 | José Luis Ayllón [10] | 2017–2018 | |
11 | Iván Redondo [11] | 2018–2021 | Pedro Sánchez |
12 | Óscar López Águeda [12] | 2021–2024 | |
13 | Diego Rubio Rodríguez [13] | 2024–pres. |
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government, is the head of government of Spain. The prime minister nominates the ministers and chairs the Council of Ministers. In this sense, the prime minister establishes the Government policies and coordinates the actions of the Cabinet members. As chief executive, the prime minister also advises the monarch on the exercise of their royal prerogatives.
The second deputy prime minister of Spain, officially Second Vice President of the Government of Spain, is a senior member of the Government of Spain. The office of the Second Deputy Prime Minister is defined in the Constitution but is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister.
The government of Spain is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Palace of Moncloa or Moncloa Palace is the official residence and workplace of the President of the Government, a position usually known in the English language as the Prime Minister of Spain. It is located in Puerta de Hierro Avenue, in the Moncloa-Aravaca district in Madrid. It has been the official residence of the Prime Minister since 1977, when Adolfo Suárez moved the residence from the Palace of Villamejor.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business (MINECO) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on economic affairs, through reforms to improve competitiveness and trade, focused on business support and the potential growth of the economy. At the same time, it directs the commercial policy of internationalization of companies, as well as the supervision of investments and foreign transactions.
The Ministry of Defence (MINISDEF) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for planning, developing and carrying out the general guidelines of the Government about the defence policy and the managing of the military administration. It is the administrative and executive body of the Spanish Armed Forces.
The Ministry of the Presidency (MPR) was the department of the Government of Spain that, from 1974 to 2023, assured the link between the different Ministries and the Prime Minister and it was responsible for the relations between the Government and the Parliament. This department also supported The Crown in the exercise of its functions.
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the highest-ranking military officer in the Spanish Armed Forces and is the principal military advisor to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, the National Defence Council and the National Security Council. It is the fourth military authority of the country after the Monarch, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence because the Secretary of State for Defence and the Under-Secretary of Defence do not have military authority.
Jorge Moragas Sánchez is the former Chief of Staff of the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy. Spanish politician and diplomat, who last served as the Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines from 2020 to 2022. Married and father of two daughters, Cala and Gigi, he was previously the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, as well as the Ambassador of Spain to the United Nations from 2017 to 2020.
The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on education and vocational training, including all the teachings of the education system except university education, without prejudice to the competences of the National Sports Council in matters of sports education. Likewise, it is also the responsibility of this Department the promotion of cooperation actions and, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the promotion of international relations in the field of non-university education.
Félix Sanz Roldán is a retired Spanish Army general and intelligence officer who served as Director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI) from July 2009 to July 2019. He served as Chief of the Defence Staff (JEMAD) of the Spanish Armed Forces during the first government of prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004–2008).
The National Security Council of Spain is the principal advisory body used by the Prime Minister for considerations of national security and foreign policy matters with senior ranks of the Administration with competencies in these matters. It was created in 2013 with the unanimous agreement of all political forces in the Cortes Generales within the framework of the National Security Strategy.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for developing and implementing the government policy on scientific research, technological development and innovation in all sectors. In particular, MICIU is responsible for the exercise of research, technological development and innovation competencies in space matters, including representation and participation in European Union and International organizations. It is also responsible for the university policy.
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for developing the government policy on fight against climate change, prevention of pollution, protecting the natural heritage, biodiversity, forests, sea, water and energy for a more ecological and productive social model. Likewise, it is responsible for the elaboration and development of the government policy against the country's demographic challenges.
The Secretary of State for Press, also known as Secretary of State for Communication (SECOM) is a high-ranking official of the Office of the Spanish Prime Minister in charge of the government's communication policy. This position must not to be confused with the Spokesperson of the Government, which is normally one of the Cabinet ministers.
The Cabinet of the Prime Minister's Office, officially Cabinet of the Presidency of the Government, is a political and technical assistance body at the service of the Prime Minister of Spain. The Cabinet of the Prime Minister is composed of multiple departments directly responsible to the Premier and coordinated by the Chief of Staff. The Cabinet Office, the officials that work on it, their offices and the departments make up the Office of the Prime Minister.
Iván Redondo Bacaicoa is a Spanish political advisor who served as the 11th Moncloa Chief of Staff from 2018 to 2021.
The Ministry of Social Affairs (MAS), since 2023 known as Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda, is a department of the Government of Spain responsible for the government policies on social services, family, minors protection, disability and prevention of youth crime, adoptions and foster care and the promotion of cultural communication and youth association. Likewise, the department is responsible for the government policies on animal welfare and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Miguel Ángel Villarroya Vilalta is a Spanish Air and Space Force general who served as the 11th Chief of the Defence Staff of Spain from 2020 to 2021. Before this, from 2017 to 2020 he was the Chief of the Technical Cabinet of the Defence Ministers María Dolores de Cospedal (2017–2018) and Margarita Robles (2018–2020).
The Office of the Prime Minister, officially Presidency of the Government is the Spanish government structure that groups all the departments and officials that are at the service of the prime minister to fulfil its constitutional duties. It is staffed by a mix of career civil servants and advisers. The highest-ranking official within the Office is the Chief of Staff, which is a political appointment on which the rest of the Office officials depend.