The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, chaired yesterday in Madrid the Executive Council of Foreign Policy, in which measures were adopted to strengthen the external structure of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
As reported by the minister through his Twitter account, the measures adopted also aim to strengthen the effectiveness and impact of Spanish cooperation policies “in development of the new Cooperation Law”, approved last February 11 in the Congress of Deputies and which provides, as its main objective, the modification of the Spanish Cooperation system and the reform of AECID.
The Foreign Policy Executive Council, chaired by the Minister, was created in July 2000 to assist the Foreign Policy Council, the collegiate body supporting the President of the Government in his functions of directing and coordinating the action of the Executive in matters of foreign policy.
The Executive Council brings together representatives (at least at the level of undersecretaries or similar) of the same ministries that make up the Foreign Policy Council. In addition, the heads of the State Secretariat for Budget and Expenditure, the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy, the State Secretariat for Communication and the State Secretariat for Foreign and Global Affairs may also participate in its meetings (only when the matters to be dealt with affect their respective areas of competence). The secretariat of the Executive Council of Foreign Policy corresponds to the person in charge of Foreign Affairs of the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Government.
In yesterday’s meeting, Albares was accompanied by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luis Manuel Cuesta. Besides, Pilar Cancela, State Secretary for International Cooperation; Dionisia Manteca, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health; Liborio López, Undersecretary of Education and Vocational Training; Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, Secretary General of Defense Policy; Markus González, Undersecretary of Universities; María Pérez Sánchez-Laulhé, Undersecretary of Culture and Sports; Ernesto Abati García-Manso, Undersecretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Carlos Marco Estellés, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Science and Innovation; and María del Pilar Paneque Sosa, Undersecretary of Finance, participated by videoconference.
