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Ministry of Environment (Spain)

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Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge
Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico

The Ministry has its headquarters in the Nuevos Ministerios government complex.
Agency overview
FormedMay 5, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-05-05) (as Ministry of Environment)
June 7, 2018 (as Ministry for the Ecological Transition)
TypeMinistry
Jurisdiction Spanish government
HeadquartersPlaza de San Juan de la Cruz, s/n
Madrid, Spain
Employees6,129 (2019)[1]
Annual budget€ 8.9 billion, 2023[2]
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Sara Aagesen Muñoz, Secretary of State for Energy
  • Hugo Alfonso Morán, Secretary of State for Environment
  • Miguel Ángel González Suela, Under-Secretary
Child agency
WebsiteMinistry for the Ecological Transition (in Spanish)

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.[3] Likewise, it is responsible for the elaboration and development of the government policy against the country's demographic challenges (population ageing, territorial depopulation, floating population effects, etc.).[3]

It corresponds to the MITECO the elaboration of the national legislation on waters and coasts, environment, climate change, meteorology and climatology; the direct management of the hydraulic public domain (all types of surface and groundwater), of the maritime-terrestrial public domain (territorial waters, inland waters, natural resources of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, as well as beaches and coasts); the representation of the Kingdom in the international organizations corresponding to these matters; as well as the coordination of actions, cooperation and agreement in the design and application of all policies that affect the scope of competences of the regions and the other public administrations, encouraging their participation through the cooperation bodies and instruments adequate.[3]

Likewise, it corresponds to the Ministry the development of the national energy and mining policy, together with the measures aimed at ensuring the energy supply, guaranteeing a correct regulation of the sector and the analysis and monitoring of these markets, together with mining competencies, all within the framework of the ecological transition.[3]

The MITECO is headed by the Ecological Transition Minister, who is appointed by the Monarch at request of the Prime Minister. Other high officials of the ministry are the Secretary of State for Energy, the Secretary of State for Environment, the Secretary-General for the Demographic Challenge and the Under-Secretary of the Department. The current minister is Teresa Ribera since 2018.[4]

History

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Precurssors

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The history of environmental policy in Spain reaches back to the 18th century, when the Ordinances for Conservation and the Increase of the Marine Mountains and for the Increase and Conservation of Forests and Plantings were promulgated (1748).[5]

The Royal Decree of November 9, 1832, gave the newly created Ministry of Public Works jurisdiction over the planting and conservation of the mountains and trees, as well as the irrigation and drainage works of marshy lands.[6] A year later, the Directorate-General for Forests was created, the first administration dedicated to the conservation of nature.[7] By Royal Decree of 31 May 1837, it was established that the mounts and plantations which belonged the Crown and of unknown owner, as belonging to the Nation, they would be administered by the government. The government body entrusted with this task was the Directorate-General for Forests. In 1855 the Forestry Advisory Board was founded.

Environnement becomes a standalone ministry

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In the 20th century, the competences in the environment were varying in rank, being mere commissions, directorates-general or even secretaries of State.

All these competences of the ministry were varying between the ministries of development, agriculture and presidency, until 1993 when the term "Environment" reached the rank of ministry, creating the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Environment.[8]

But it was not until 1996 when the Environment obtained its own ministry during the presidency of José María Aznar, creating the Ministry of Environment that was in force until 2011 (in 2008 the Ministry assumed the powers in Rural and Marine Environment[9]).

Merger intro Ministry of Agriculture

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In 2011, the new prime minister Mariano Rajoy merged this ministry with the Ministry of Agriculture, creating the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (2011-2016) and later the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (2016-2018).

Independence retrieved by the ministry

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In 2018, with the arrival of Pedro Sánchez to the premiership, he regained the ministry's autonomy by creating a ministry focused on carrying out an energy transition towards more ecological means of production, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.[10] For this purpose Sánchez appointed Teresa Ribera as minister and her ministry assumed for the first time responsibilities on energy policy, a policy that historically belonged to the ministries of Industry or Economy.

In 2020, in order to improve the environmental policies that this department was doing, the Prime Minister promoted minister Ribera to the rank of Deputy Prime Minister[11] and it trusted her the responsibilities on the different demographic challenges that Spain had.[12] Nowadays, the official name (in Spanish) is Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico as a new, changed name from the previously named Ministerio del Medio Ambiente.

Denomination of the Ministry

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Despite its long history, the agency did not reach the rank of ministry until 1993:

  • Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Environment (1993-1996)
  • Ministry of Environment (1996-2008)
  • Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (2008-2011)
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (2011-2016)
  • Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (2016-2018)
  • Ministry for the Ecological Transition (2018-2020)
  • Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (2020-)
Teresa Ribera, current Ecological Transition Minister.

Structure

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The Ministry's structure is:[13]

  • The Secretariat of State for Energy
    • The Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines
    • The Directorate-General for Energy Planning and Coordination
  • The Secretariat of State for Environment
    • The Directorate-General for Water
    • The Spanish Office for Climate Change
    • The Directorate-General for Environmental Quality and Evaluation
    • The Directorate-General for the Coast and the Sea
    • The Directorate-General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification
  • The General Secretariat for the Demographic Challenge.
    • The Directorate-General for Depopulation Policies
  • The Undersecretariat
    • The Technical General Secretariat
    • The Directorate-General for Services
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for International Relations
  • The Commissioner for Renewable Energies, Hydrogen and Storage, with the rank of Undersecretary.
  • The Commissioner for the Water Cycle and Ecosystem Restoration, with the rank of Undersecretary.
  • The Commissioner for the Circular Economy, with the rank of Undersecretary.

Ministry agencies and enterprises

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List of officeholders

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Office name:

  • Ministry of Environment (1996–2008)
  • Ministry for the Ecological Transition (2018–2020)
  • Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (2020–present)
Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Party Government Prime Minister
(Tenure) 		Ref.
Took office Left office Duration
Isabel Tocino
(born 1949) 		6 May
1996 		28 April
2000 		3 years and 358 days PP Aznar I José María Aznar

(1996–2004) 		[14]
[15]
Jaume Matas
(born 1956) 		28 April
2000 		3 March
2003 		2 years and 309 days PP Aznar II [16]
[17]
Elvira Rodríguez
(born 1957) 		3 March
2003 		18 April
2004 		1 year and 46 days PP [18]
[19]
Cristina Narbona
(born 1951) 		18 April
2004 		14 April
2008 		3 years and 362 days PSOE Zapatero I José Luis
Rodríguez Zapatero

(2004–2011) 		[20]
[21]
Office disestablished during this interval.[a]
sinmarco Teresa Ribera
(born 1969) 		7 June
2018 		13 January
2020 		6 years and 164 days PSOE Sánchez I Pedro Sánchez

(2018–present) 		[22]
[23]
[24]
13 January
2020 		21 November
2023 		Sánchez II
21 November
2023 		Incumbent Sánchez III

Notes

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  1. ^ The department's competences were transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture between 2008 and 2018.

References

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  1. ^ Ministry of Territorial Policy and Civil Service (2018). Statistical Bulletin of the personnel at the service of the Public Administrations (PDF). p. 48. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "2023 State Budget" (PDF). www.boe.es. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Royal Decree 500/2020, of April 28, which develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry for Ecological Transition nad Demographic Challenge". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  4. ^ "Teresa Ribera, Director of IDDRI, appointed Minister for the Ecological Transition in the new Spanish Governement [sic]". IDDRI. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  5. ^ APAF-Madrid. "Tres siglos de Guardería". www.agentesforestales.org (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  6. ^ "Royal Decree of November 9, 1832". 2012-01-18. Archived from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  7. ^ Marraco Solana, Santiago (1991). La política forestal española: Evolución reciente y perspectivas (PDF).
  8. ^ "Royal Decree 1173/1993, of July 13, on the Restructuring of Ministerial Departments". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  9. ^ "Royal Decree 432/2008, of April 12, by which the ministerial departments are restructured". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  10. ^ "BRoyal Decree 355/2018, of June 6, by which the ministerial departments are restructured". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  11. ^ Sesay, Isha (2020-01-10). "Pedro Sánchez reveals Spain's new look coalition government - Euro Weekly News Spain News News Article". Euro Weekly News Spain. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  12. ^ Jones, Sam (2020-03-02). "The hollowing out of Spain – and the minister trying to reverse it". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  13. ^ "Royal Decree 503/2024, of May 21, which develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  14. ^ "Real Decreto 762/1996, de 5 de mayo, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (110). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 15709. 6 May 1996. ISSN 0212-033X.
  15. ^ "Real Decreto 374/2000, de 13 de marzo, por el que se declara el cese de los miembros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (63). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 10377. 14 March 2000. ISSN 0212-033X.
  16. ^ "Real Decreto 561/2000, de 27 de abril, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (102). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 16448. 28 April 2000. ISSN 0212-033X.
  17. ^ "Real Decreto 269/2003, de 28 de febrero, por el que se dispone el cese de don Jaime Matas i Palou como Ministro de Medio Ambiente" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (53). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 8326. 3 March 2003. ISSN 0212-033X.
  18. ^ "Real Decreto 270/2003, de 28 de febrero, por el que se nombra Ministra de Medio Ambiente a doña María Elvira Rodríguez Herrer" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (53). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 8326. 3 March 2003. ISSN 0212-033X.
  19. ^ "Real Decreto 449/2004, de 15 de marzo, por el que se declara el cese de los miembros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (65). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 11575. 16 March 2004. ISSN 0212-033X.
  20. ^ "Real Decreto 558/2004, de 17 de abril, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (94). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 16008. 18 April 2004. ISSN 0212-033X.
  21. ^ "Real Decreto 381/2008, de 10 de marzo, por el que se declara el cese de los miembros del Gobierno" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (61). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 14366. 11 March 2008. ISSN 0212-033X.
  22. ^ "Real Decreto 357/2018, de 6 de junio, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (138). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 58729. 7 June 2018. ISSN 0212-033X.
  23. ^ "Real Decreto 8/2020, de 12 de enero, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (11). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 2882. 13 January 2020. ISSN 0212-033X.
  24. ^ "Real Decreto 835/2023, de 20 de noviembre, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (278). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 154695. 21 November 2023. ISSN 0212-033X.
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