Teresa Ribera, the Spaniard, appointed to head the European Commission in charge of competition and climate – Actusduweb

Like all commissioners-designate, Ribera will now have to undergo a confirmation hearing in the European Parliament.

Ribera has twice served as Spain’s Minister of the Environment. In her second term, under current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, she took on the broader role of Minister of Ecological Transition and was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister in his government.

In that role, Ribera oversaw the shutdown of Spain’s coal industry, negotiated the phase-out of nuclear power by 2035, offered Madrid the chance to host the 2019 U.N. climate talks after Chile pulled out at the last minute, and secured a waiver for Spain and Portugal from EU electricity market rules during the gas crisis.

Outside of her ministerial work, Ribera has focused on climate change policy for most of her career as a civil servant, climate change negotiator and director of the Paris-based think tank, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.