Published: March 8th, 2023,
Last updated: May 28th, 2025
On June 1, Spain will take over the EU Council Presidency. This means that one of the „best experts in international climate negotiations“ will lead the EU to COP28. Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge was already part of negotiations as Secretary of State for Climate Change (2008-2011) prior to the failed Copenhagen Conference in 2009. A lawyer, she held various positions in the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Environment (1996-2004) before becoming Director General for Climate Affairs (2004-2008). From 2014 to 2018, Ribera headed the Paris-based think tank IDDRI before moving back to the Socialist government in Madrid. Ribera’s negotiating style is considered open, communicative, and tough on issues.