Pilar del Castillo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pilar del Castillo
|
|
|---|---|
Pilar del Castillo in 2014
|
|
| Member of the European Parliament for Spain |
|
| Assumed office 20 July 2004 |
|
| Minister of Education, Culture and Sport | |
| In office 27 April 2000 – 17 April 2004 |
|
| Prime Minister | José María Aznar |
| Preceded by | Mariano Rajoy |
| Succeeded by | María Jesús San Segundo |
| Director of the Centre for Sociological Research | |
| In office 24 May 1996 – 27 April 2000 |
|
| Prime Minister | José María Aznar |
| Preceded by | Joaquín Arango Vila-Belda |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo Montoro |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pilar del Castillo Vera
31 July 1952 Nador, Spanish protectorate in Morocco |
| Political party | People's Party (2000–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
OCE-BR (1970–1974) |
| Spouse | Guillermo Gortázar |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Technical University of Madrid Ohio State University Complutense University of Madrid |
Pilar del Castillo Vera, born on July 31, 1952, is a Spanish politician. She has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2004. Before that, she was the Minister for Education, Culture and Sport in Spain. She served in this important role from 2000 to 2004.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Pilar del Castillo studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid. She finished her degree in 1974. Later, in 1980, she received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Scholarship. This allowed her to study political science in the United States at Ohio State University.
She earned her PhD in law from Complutense University of Madrid in 1983. The next year, in 1984, she won an award for her PhD paper. This paper was about how political parties get their money in different countries.
Her Career Journey
In 1986, Pilar del Castillo started working as a professor. She taught about constitutional law at UNED. By 1994, she became a full professor in political science.
She also worked as an editor for a magazine about politics and culture from 1995 to 1996. From 1996 to 2000, she was the director of the Spanish Sociological Research Centre. This center studies how people think and behave in society. She has written many articles about political parties and how people vote.
Working in Politics
Pilar del Castillo has held several important positions in Spanish and European politics.
Minister of Education, Culture and Sport
In 2000, the Prime Minister of Spain, José María Aznar, chose Pilar del Castillo to be his new Minister of Education, Culture and Sport. In this job, she was responsible for a plan to change Spain's public universities.
This plan led to many students and university staff protesting across the country in December 2001. It was one of the biggest student protests in Spain's recent history.
Member of the European Parliament
Pilar del Castillo became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2004. MEPs are elected to represent their countries in the European Union. They help make laws and decisions for all of Europe.
Since becoming an MEP, she has been a leader for her political group. She works on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). This committee deals with topics like new technologies and energy. She also helps with the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON).
From 2007 to 2009, she was part of a special committee on climate change. She also worked with groups that focus on relationships with India and China. She attended important international meetings about climate change in 2008 and 2009. In 2020, she joined a committee that studies artificial intelligence.
As an MEP, Pilar del Castillo has been a "rapporteur" for important laws. A rapporteur is like a lead writer for a new law. She helped write laws about data, network security, and electronic communication.
Other Important Roles
Besides her work in the European Parliament, Pilar del Castillo is involved in several other groups:
- She leads a working group on 'Energy and Environment' for the European Ideas Network.
- She is a member of the European Network for Women in Leadership.
- She serves on the board of trustees for the Spanish Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis.
- She is also on the board of trustees for the Prado Museum, a famous art museum in Spain.
- She is an advisor for the Fundación Botín and a trustee for the Fundación Ortega-Marañón.
Personal Interests
Pilar del Castillo has a strong interest in art. Her official portrait at the Ministry of Education is actually a self-portrait. This shows her artistic talent.
See also
In Spanish: Pilar del Castillo para niños
