Ministry of Environment (Spain)

Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge
Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico

The Ministry has its headquarters in the Nuevos Ministerios government complex.
Agency overview
FormedMay 5, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-05-05) (as Ministry of Environment)
June 7, 2018 (as Ministry for the Ecological Transition)
TypeMinistry
Jurisdiction Spanish government
HeadquartersPlaza de San Juan de la Cruz, s/n
Madrid, Spain
Employees6,129 (2019)[1]
Annual budget 8.9 billion, 2023[2]
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Sara Aagesen Muñoz, Secretary of State for Energy
  • Hugo Alfonso Morán, Secretary of State for Environment
  • Miguel Ángel González Suela, Under-Secretary
Child agency
WebsiteMinistry for the Ecological Transition (in Spanish)

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for developing the government policy on fight against climate change, prevention of pollution, protecting the natural heritage, biodiversity, forests, sea, water and energy for a more ecological and productive social model.[3] Likewise, it is responsible for the elaboration and development of the government policy against the country's demographic challenges (population ageing, territorial depopulation, floating population effects, etc.).[3]

It corresponds to the MITECO the elaboration of the national legislation on waters and coasts, environment, climate change, meteorology and climatology; the direct management of the hydraulic public domain (all types of surface and groundwater), of the maritime-terrestrial public domain (territorial waters, inland waters, natural resources of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, as well as beaches and coasts); the representation of the Kingdom in the international organizations corresponding to these matters; as well as the coordination of actions, cooperation and agreement in the design and application of all policies that affect the scope of competences of the regions and the other public administrations, encouraging their participation through the cooperation bodies and instruments adequate.[3]

Likewise, it corresponds to the Ministry the development of the national energy and mining policy, together with the measures aimed at ensuring the energy supply, guaranteeing a correct regulation of the sector and the analysis and monitoring of these markets, together with mining competencies, all within the framework of the ecological transition.[3]

The MITECO is headed by the Ecological Transition Minister, who is appointed by the Monarch at request of the Prime Minister. Other high officials of the ministry are the Secretary of State for Energy, the Secretary of State for Environment, the Secretary-General for the Demographic Challenge and the Under-Secretary of the Department. The current minister is Teresa Ribera since 2018.[4]

  1. ^ Ministry of Territorial Policy and Civil Service (2018). Statistical Bulletin of the personnel at the service of the Public Administrations (PDF). p. 48. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "2023 State Budget" (PDF). www.boe.es. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Royal Decree 500/2020, of April 28, which develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry for Ecological Transition nad Demographic Challenge". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  4. ^ "Teresa Ribera, Director of IDDRI, appointed Minister for the Ecological Transition in the new Spanish Governement [sic]". IDDRI. Retrieved 2019-04-15.