Ana Palacio
From the American Center for Democracy biography
Ana Palacio is currently member of the Spanish Parliament, where she chairs the Joint Committee of the two Houses for European Affairs. She served as Foreign Minister under Prime Minister José María Aznar (2002-2004). During her tenure as Foreign Minister, Ana Palacio focused on three priority policy areas: The European construction (she was member of the European convention and the Convention’s Praesidum); strengthening transatlantic relations with the Americas and with the United States in particular; the fight against terrorism and strengthening EU ties with the Mediterranean and the Middle East. As member of the European Parliament during the 4th (1994-1999) and 5th (1999-2002) legislatures, she chaired the Legal Affairs and Internal Market Committee and the Justice and Home Affairs Committee as well as the Conference of Committee Chairmen, the Parliament’s most senior body for the coordination of its legislative work. She has held the most senior positions (First Vice President and President elect) in the governing body of European lawyers (CCBE), and the Academy of European Law (ERA). She currently works as a consultant for the World Bank reporting for the Presidency on the High Level Commission for Legal Empowerment of the Poor. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, as well as member of the board of different institutions, among others: IAB of the Council on Foreign Relations, IE, FAES, FRIDE, and CSIS Initiative for Renewed Transatlantic Partnership, Transatlantic Policy Network (TNP) Advisory Committee. She holds degrees in Law, Political Science and Sociology. Her performance in her studies merited the Award for Academic Achievement by the Complutense University (Spain).
Affiliations
- American Jewish Committee – she appears at many of their functions/speaker
- Council on Foreign Relations
- World Bank – appointed June 2006 [1]
