José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra
| José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra | |
|---|---|
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra 31 May 1955 Madrid, Spain |
| Political party |
 Spain:Partido Popular (PP)  EU:European People's Party (EPP) |
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (born May 31, 1955 in Madrid) is a Spanish politician and diplomat who currently serves as a Member of the European Parliament with the People's Party. He was previously the Head of the EU Delegation to Argentina between 2015 and 2017.
Education
- Degree and further courses in law at the Complutense University of Madrid
- Honorary doctorate from the University of the Americas, Chile
- Diplomas in European integration from the Diplomatic School of Madrid and the National Institute of Public Administration
Early career
- Legal adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and member of the Ministry of Transport, Tourism and Communications inspectorate
- European Commission official
- Assistant director of the offices of Commissioners Abel Matutes and Marcelino Oreja
- Professor of Civil Law, Centre for European Studies
Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra has lectured in European Community studies at the Diplomatic School of Madrid, the University of Trieste, the Menéndez y Pelayo University, the Complutense, Autonomous and Technical Universities of Madrid, as well as other centres and institutions
Political career
Career in national politics
- Member of the PP National Executive Committee and Madrid Regional Executive Committee
- Member of the PP Council on International Relations
Member of the European Parliament, 1994–2014
Sánchez-Neyra has been a Member of the European Parliament since the 1994 European elections. In Parliament, he sat on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was a substitute for the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, substitute for the Delegation to the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee. From 2006 and 2007, Salafranca was a member of the Parliament’s Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners.
On the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra served as the European Parliament's rapporteur on the bi-regional strategic association between the EU and Latin America and the association, political dialogue and cooperation agreements between the European Community and Mexico, Chile and the Andean Community
In addition to his committee assignments, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra was a member of the European People's Party Group Bureau. Between 2001 and 2004, he also served as Vice-Chairman of the Group.
Other roles:
- 2001-2004: Member of the EPP Group Policy Bureau
- EPP-ED Group coordinator on the Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Former Chairman of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South America and the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America, Mexico and Cuba
- 2001: European Parliament representative at the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean (Madrid, 2002) and at the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean (Guadalajara, Mexico, 2004), and head of the parliamentary delegation to the 12th, 13th and 14th San Jose Ministerial Conferences with the Rio Group (2000, 2001) and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership
Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra chaired the Parliament's observer mission for the 2000 general elections in Peru and for the 2002 presidential elections in Colombia.
Head of the EU Delegation to Argentina, 2015–2017
On 31 August 2015, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, appointed Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra as Head of the EU Delegation to Argentina.[1]
Member of the European Parliament, 2017–present
Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra has again been serving as Member of the European Parliament since 3 January 2017. He is currently a member of the Committee on Budgetary Control.
Political positions
In 2006, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra was the chief of a committee of 70 electoral observers from the European Union for the Mexican general election.[2] After the election Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra considered the controversial election clean and considered the decision of the Electoral Tribunal as fair.[3] Mark Almond, an election observer in several countries, questioned the objectivity of José Ignacio Salafranca and some of the mass media.[4]
During a plenary session of the European Parliament, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra orally introduced an amendment to promote the Brazilian resolution on sexual identity and sexual orientation, which aims to secure equal rights for all people regardless of sexual orientation. The resolution also included amendments on abortion. Salafranca's amendment was accepted and the EPP voted in favor of the resolution.
In May 2015, news media reported that Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra was included in a Russian blacklist of prominent people from the European Union who are not allowed to enter the country.[5][6]
Other activities
- Patron of the Fundación Activa
- Patron of the Hispano-Cuban Foundation
- Vice-President of the Juan de la Cosa Foundation
Controversy
In March 2010, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra led a four-strong delegation to a meeting of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly in Buenos Aires. The cost of the five-day trip was €105,182, an average cost per MEP of €26,296. It was one of the Parliament’s most expensive delegation trips outside of the EU in 2010.[7]
References
- ↑ High Representative Federica Mogherini announces senior appointments European External Action Service (EEAS), press release of 31 August 2015.
- ↑ "Llegan 70 observadores electorales de la UE". El Universal, 22 June 2006.
- ↑ "Observadores de UE instan a coalición a evitar inestabilidad". Natalia Gómez, El Universal, 11 September 2006.
- ↑ "Outcry over Mexican elections falling on deaf ears" Archived 2006-08-23 at the Wayback Machine.. By Mark Almond, Malaysia Sun, 15 August 2006. Same article in The Guardian is titled: 'People power' is a global brand owned by America. "West promoting 'people power' when it suits". Taipei Times, 19 August 2006. Same Guardian article as above.
- ↑ Laurence Norman (May 30, 2015), Russia Produces Blacklist of EU People Banned From Entering Country Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist BBC News, May 31, 2015.
- ↑ Constant Brand (February 8, 2012), Counting the cost of overseas trips European Voice.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra. |
- Personal profile of José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra in the European Parliament's database of members
- Declaration (PDF) of financial interests (in Spanish)