The Diplomat
King Felipe VI and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; Defense, Margarita Robles; and Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, attended the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Elcano Royal Institute this Monday.
The meeting, held in the Patio de los Austrias of the Royal Palace of El Pardo (Madrid) and chaired by the King and the President of the Elcano Royal Institute, José Juan Ruiz, was attended by more than thirty trustees. In addition to Albares, Robles, and Cuerpo, they included former Prime Ministers Felipe González, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Mariano Rajoy, and the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
The Elcano Royal Institute of International and Strategic Studies was established on December 27, 2001, under the Honorary Presidency of the King, then Prince of Asturias, with the aim of serving as a forum for analysis and discussion on current international affairs, and particularly on Spain’s international relations. Since its inception, the Institute has defined itself as “a non-partisan, though not neutral, institution,” as it seeks to make possible “the values that inspire it.”
The Board of Trustees, the highest governing body of the Elcano Royal Institute, meets in ordinary session twice a year and exercises the main powers of representation, governance, and administration of the Foundation.
It is responsible, among other functions, for the approval of the Annual Action Plan, the budget, the accounts, and the Annual Report of activities. It also appoints the president, vice president, director, and secretary of the Board of Trustees and designates the members of the Executive Committee. It also decides on the incorporation of new members and the appointment, at the proposal of the Executive Committee, of the members of the Scientific Council.
The Board of Trustees is composed of the presidents of the companies and entities that serve as trustees of the Elcano Royal Institute, as well as former presidents of the Government, the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Culture and Sport, Economy and Business, and a trustee nominated by the main opposition party. Representatives of the Spanish academic, cultural, and social sectors and former ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense also participate as elected members.
