MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain savings restructure eliminates State Secretary for Ibero-America

Vice-President Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega

The Spanish government approved Friday a sweeping reform of the Ministries of Industry and Foreign Affairs which included the elimination of the State Secretary for Ibero-America.

The reform also eliminated the Secretary of State for Tourism, which depends from the Ministry of Industry, besides two secretariats and four general divisions at Foreign Affairs, all of which should represent savings equivalent to 2.5 million US dollars.

The re-structuring also netted the Spanish International Cooperation Agency, AECI, with savings estimated in 250.000 US dollars.

Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, Deputy Vice-president was the spokesperson on the reforms following on Friday’s cabinet meeting.

A top post erased from the presidential structure was that of High representative for the Spanish presidency of the European Union, which had ministerial rank. The elimination coincides with the end of Madrid as EU chair.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs retains the State Secretaries for the EU and International Cooperation and consolidates Foreign Affairs and Ibero-America to an only Secretary, precisely under that name.