José Manuel García-Margallo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Manuel García-Margallo
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation | |
| In office 22 December 2011 – 4 November 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Mariano Rajoy |
| Preceded by | Trinidad Jiménez |
| Succeeded by | Alfonso Dastis |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 13 January 2016 – 21 May 2019 |
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| Constituency | Alicante |
| In office 22 June 1986 – 19 July 1994 |
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| Constituency | Valencia |
| In office 15 June 1977 – 28 October 1982 |
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| Constituency | Melilla |
| Member of the European Parliament for Spain |
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| In office 1 July 2019 – 10 June 2024 |
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| In office 19 July 1994 – 22 December 2011 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil
13 August 1944 Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | People's Party (1989–present) People's Democratic Party (1983–1989) Union of the Democratic Centre (1978–1983) People's Party (1976–1978) |
| Alma mater | University of Deusto Harvard University |
José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil was born on August 13, 1944. He is a Spanish politician who held important roles in his country's government. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation from 2011 to 2016. This means he was Spain's top diplomat, dealing with other countries.
He was also a member of the European Parliament for many years. He served there from 1994 to 2011, and again from 2019 to 2024. The European Parliament is where elected representatives from different European Union countries work together.
Contents
Early Life and Education
José Manuel García-Margallo was born in Madrid, the capital of Spain. When he was 16, in 1960, he joined a group called the Young Spanish Monarchists.
He studied Law and Economics at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain, graduating in 1965. Later, he continued his studies at Harvard University in the United States, where he earned a master's degree in law in 1972. His great-grandfather was General Juan García y Margallo, a military leader who died in 1893 during a conflict known as the Margallo War.
Political Career
In 1976, Mr. García-Margallo helped start a political group called the People's Party. This party later joined with others to form the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD). This UCD group won Spain's first democratic elections in 1977. They then formed the government from 1977 to 1982.
In 1977, he was elected to the Congress of Deputies, which is like Spain's main parliament. He represented the area of Melilla. He was re-elected in 1979 but lost his seat in the 1982 election.
After the UCD party broke up in 1983, Mr. García-Margallo joined a new party called the Democratic Popular Party. He returned to the Congress in 1986, representing Valencia. He kept this seat until 1994.
Serving in the European Parliament
From 1994 to 2011, José Manuel García-Margallo was a Member of the European Parliament. During this time, he worked on important committees. He was part of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy. From 2002 to 2011, he was the vice-chairman of this committee.
He helped lead the Parliament's work on the European Banking Authority (EBA). This authority helps make sure banks in Europe are stable and safe. He also suggested creating a European fund to help large banks during financial crises. This fund would be paid for mainly by the banks themselves.
Mr. García-Margallo also served on special committees that looked into financial crises and future plans for the European Union. He was also part of the Parliament's group that worked on relationships with countries in Central America. In 2010, he led the EU team that observed the presidential election in Togo.
Spain's Foreign Minister
On December 22, 2011, Mr. García-Margallo became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation for Spain. He served in this role under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
In March 2012, he announced that Spain would stop its activities at its embassy in Damascus, Syria. This was in response to serious human rights issues happening in Syria at the time.
In November 2012, he stated that Spain would support the Palestinian National Authority in its request for a higher status at the United Nations.
In 2014, during talks with the European Union about opening up Cuba, Mr. García-Margallo upset the Cuban government. He asked Cuba to allow people who had been arrested in 2003 to travel freely. During his visit, he did not meet with Cuba's leader, Raúl Castro. Instead, he met with the First Vice-President, Miguel Díaz-Canel.
After a deal was made in 2015 about Iran's nuclear program, Mr. García-Margallo led a group of Spanish government and business leaders to Iran. They explored new business opportunities. In January 2016, he began talks with Iran about building an oil refinery near the Gibraltar strait.
In 2015, Mr. García-Margallo and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, made an agreement. They decided to remove contaminated soil from an area in southern Spain called Palomares. This area was affected in 1966 when an American warplane accidentally dropped hydrogen bombs there. This agreement came after many years of discussions between the two countries.
Later Political Activities
Mr. García-Margallo did not continue as Foreign Minister after the new government was formed in 2016. He remained a member of the Congress of Deputies for a while longer. In July 2016, he started appearing as a guest on a Spanish TV show called El programa de Ana Rosa.
In July 2018, he ran for the leadership of his party, the People's Party. He received 688 votes from party members. He then supported another candidate, Pablo Casado, in the final round.
Mr. García-Margallo was elected to the European Parliament again in 2019. He served there until June 2024. In 2020, he joined the Subcommittee on Tax Matters. During a leadership issue in his party in 2022, he encouraged the leader, Pablo Casado, to step down for the good of the party.
He also was part of a group in the European Parliament that focused on seas, rivers, islands, and coastal areas. Mr. García-Margallo did not seek re-election in the 2024 European Parliament election. He often appears as a guest on political talk shows on the Spanish TV channel Antena 3.
Other Activities
- Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies: He is a member of the board of trustees for this important research institute.
- Instituto Cervantes: He is an ex officio member of the board of trustees for this organization that promotes the Spanish language and culture worldwide.
Honours
Portugal: He received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit from Portugal on March 8, 2016.
Works
Mr. García-Margallo has also written several books.
See also
In Spanish: José Manuel García-Margallo para niños
