Spain names Sara Aagesen as new environment minister, deputy premier

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday named Sara Aagesen as the country’s new deputy premier and minister for the ecological transition and demographic challenge.

Aagesen replaces Teresa Ribera, who will become one of the most influential figures in Brussels as the European Commission’s executive vice president for the clean, just and competitive transition.

“If Spain’s economy grows – and today it is growing four times faster than the EU average — while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it’s thanks to a transformation of our economic model that is part of Ribera’s identity,” Sanchez said in a speech on Monday.

“Our loss in Spain is a win for all of Europe,” he added.

Since 2018, Aagesen has worked closely with Ribera to design environmental and energy policies for Spain.

In January 2020, she was appointed secretary of state for energy, the second-most important position in Ribera's department. In that role, she helped Spain navigate energy price spikes during the war in Ukraine, spearheading the EU mechanism known as the “Iberian exception” to reduce prices.

Sanchez said Aagesen represents his government’s commitment to experienced professionals and female leadership.

Aagesen, a chemical engineer, has worked in Spain’s Environment Ministry since 2002, negotiated at the UN, and served as a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“I’m certain that under her leadership, Spain will continue to be a leader in the green and just transition,” Sanchez said. “We will continue demonstrating that we can create wealth while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and taking care of the environment and biodiversity.”