Minister of Foreign Affairs (Spain)
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
|---|---|
Standard used by government officials | |
since 12 July 2021 | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Style | The Most Excellent (formal) Mr. Minister (informal) |
| Member of | Council of Ministers National Security Council Foreign Policy Council |
| Residence | Palace of Viana |
| Nominator | The Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch countersigned by the prime minister |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Precursor | Secretary of the Universal Office |
| Formation | July 11, 1705 |
| First holder | Pedro Fernández del Campo, Marquess of Mejorada del Campo |
| Website | exteriores.gob.es/ministro |
The minister of foreign affairs, called in the past secretary or minister of state, is a member of the Council of Ministers and the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. The foreign minister is responsible for designing and implementing Spain's foreign and development cooperation policies, as well as coordinating the country's foreign action and service.
The minister is, after the Monarch and the Prime Minister, Spain's highest international representative, possessing full powers to represent the country, negotiate, adopt, and authenticate treaties, as well as to express Spain's consent to be bound by them. In this regard, he is responsible for appointing Spain's representatives for the execution of any international act relating to an international treaty.
The minister of foreign affairs is appointed by the monarch, on the advice of the prime minister, and is one of the most relevant ministerial offices of Spain, ranking in protocol ahead of the other ministers and just behind the prime minister (or the deputy prime ministers if there were any).