Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Spain)

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Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Secretario de Estado de Asuntos Exteriores
Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg
Coat of Arms used by the Government
Logotipo de la Secretaria de Estado de Asuntos Exteriores.png
Incumbent
Diego Martínez Belío
since December 20, 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs
Style The Most Excellent (formal)
Mr. Secretary of State (informal)
AbbreviationSEAEX
Reports to Foreign Minister
Nominator Foreign Minister
Appointer The King
FormationApril 27, 1979
First holder Carlos Robles Piquer
Website exteriores.gob.es

The secretary of state for foreign and global affairs (SEAEX) is a senior minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain. Although he or she has the same rank as the other Secretaries of State of the Department, the SEAEX is considered the second-in-command to the Minister.

Contents

The secretary of state for foreign affairs is responsible for the planning and executing the foreign policy of the central government in its global aspects and in some specific geographical and thematic areas. [1]

Specifically, he or she is responsible for the coordination and following of the Spanish participation in the Common Foreign Policy and Security of the European Union, for the foreign policy regarding the United Nations and the rest of the international organizations and the establishment of economic relations with other nations. Furthermore, the SEAEX is in charge of international issues like terrorism, security, construction of and maintainment of peace, non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament and human rights. [1]

Most of the European Union and rest of Europe competences are assumed by the secretary of state for the European Union, with the exception of those for Eastern Europe. The SEAEX is also responsible for the foreign policy regarding the Maghreb, Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North America, Asia and the Pacific. [1]

History

The Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs was created in 1979 as a body of «general competence» destinated to help the Foreign Minister in his duties. [2] This body was suppressed in 1982 [3] and its competences were re-assumed by the Minister.

In 1985, the department was reactivated with the level of General Secretariat and was called General Secretariat for Foreign Policy and the Secretary General had the rank of Under Secretary. [4] In 1996, with the change of government, the General Secretariat was subordinated to a new Secretariat of State called Secretariat of State for Foreign Policy and for the European Union, assuming the coordinations competences of the General Secretariat and the competences of the Secretariat of State for the European Union. This was reverted again in 2000 when the secretariat of state was split in two. [5]

In 2004, the new government gave the competencies over Ibero-America to this Secretariat of State that before belonged to the Secretariat of State for International Cooperation but in 2008 this competences were assumed by a new Secretariat of State for Ibero-America and were re-assumed again in the very late 2010 under the name of Secretariat of State for Foreign and Ibero-American Affairs. [6]

With the Rajoy government, the Secretariat of State established its current structure, with the exception of everything regarding Ibero-America and the Caribbean, which was established in 2020.

Names

Structure

The Secretariat of State is composed of six departments, all of them run by a Director-General: [1]

List of SEAEX

No.ImageNameTerm of OfficeMinisters serving under Prime Minister
BeganEndedDays of Service
Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Carlos Robles Piquer 27 April 197924 October 1981911 Marcelino Oreja Aguirre
José Pedro Pérez-Llorca
Adolfo Suárez
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Gabriel Mañueco de Lecea6 November 198121 October 1982349 José Pedro Pérez-Llorca Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Ramón de Miguel y Egea14 May 19966 May 20001453 Abel Matutes José María Aznar
Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Miquel Nadal Segalá6 May 200020 July 2002805 Josep Piqué
Ramon Gil-Casares CSIS 2013 (cropped).jpeg Ramón Gil-Casares 20 July 200220 April 2004640 Ana Palacio
Bernardino Leon (cropped).jpg Bernardino León 20 April 200422 April 20081463 Miguel Ángel Moratinos José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Angel Lossada Torres-Quevedo 2010.jpg Ángel Lossada Torres-Quevedo22 April 200827 July 2010826
Juan Pablo de Laiglesia (cropped).jpg Juan Pablo de Laiglesia y González de Peredo27 July 20106 November 2010102 Trinidad Jiménez
Juan Antonio Yanez-Barnuevo (cropped).jpg Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo García6 November 201024 December 2011413
10º Gonzalo de Benito 2016 (cropped).jpg Gonzalo de Benito Secades24 December 201115 November 20141057 José Manuel García-Margallo Mariano Rajoy
11º Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Ignacio Ybáñez Rubio15 November 201421 January 2017798
12º Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Ildefonso Castro López21 January 201719 June 2018514 Alfonso Dastis
13º ( Fernando Martin Valenzuela Marzo) 2019 Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Article XIV Conference (48831874811) (cropped).jpg Fernando Martín Valenzuela Marzo 19 June 20185 February 2020596 Josep Borrell Pedro Sánchez
14º (Cristina Gallach) 140319-sanchez-cultura12 (cropped).jpg Cristina Gallach 5 February 202021 July 2021532 Arancha González Laya
15º La diplomatica Angeles Moreno Bau. Angela Martin-Retortillo.jpg Ángeles Moreno Bau 21 July 202120 December 2023882 José Manuel Albares
16º Escudo de Espana (mazonado).svg Diego Martínez Belío20 December 2023Incumbent575

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Royal Decree 644/2020, of July 7, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation is developed". boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  2. "BOE.es - Documento BOE-A-1979-11350". boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  3. "Royal Decree-Law 22/1982, of December 7, on measures of Administrative Reforms". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  4. "Royal Decree 1485/1985, of August 28, which determines the basic organizational structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the autonomous agency of the Department". boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  5. "Royal Decree 1473/2000, of August 4, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is developed". boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  6. "Royal Decree 1748/2010, of December 23, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation is developed". boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-11-20.