Josep Borrell
Josep Borrell Fontelles is a Spanish politician serving as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since 1 December 2019. A member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), he served as President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Government of Spain from 2018 to 2019.
Some of the key events about Josep Borrell
- 1975Earned a PhD in Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid
- 1979Elected as a member of the Madrid Assembly
- 1986Became Secretary of State for Finance in the Spanish government
- 1991Appointed Minister of Public Works and Transport
- 1999Elected as a Member of the European Parliament
- 1999Resigned as leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) due to a financial scandal involving two of his former co-workers
- 2000Stepped down as a candidate for Prime Minister of Spain following allegations of financial impropriety
- 2004Became President of the European Parliament
- 2010Appointed President of the European University Institute
- 2012Resigned as President of the European University Institute amid controversy over his simultaneous roles in public office and private energy companies
- 2018Became Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
- 2018Fined €30,000 by Spain's National Securities Market Commission for insider trading of Abengoa shares
- 2019Appointed High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
- 2019Criticized for referring to the Amazon as "the lungs of the planet" during the Amazon rainforest fires, a statement considered scientifically inaccurate
- 2020Launched the European Peace Facility to support international security efforts
- 2020Faced backlash for suggesting that Greta Thunberg might have "green syndrome"
- 2021Criticized for describing Russia's military build-up near Ukraine as a "bluff"
- 2022Accused of making a racist comment by comparing Europe to a "garden" and the rest of the world to a "jungle"
- 2023Criticized for suggesting that Israel's response to Hamas attacks might be disproportionate
- 2023Faced controversy over leaked comments suggesting Europe should cut trees to reduce reliance on Russian energy
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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