María Aránzazu "Arancha" González Laya (born 22 May 1969) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

lawyer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the

Spanish government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Pedro Sánchez Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has been Prime Minister of Spain since June 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since June 2017, having pr ...

from 2020 to 2021. Currently, González is the dean of the

Paris School of International Affairs The Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) is a graduate school of Sciences Po (also referred to as the ''Institut d'études politiques de Paris'') based in Paris, France, and it is generally considered to be one of the top rated and most ...

at the elite French university Sciences Po. Earlier in her career, González served as assistant

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

and the

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the

International Trade Centre The International Trade Centre (ITC) () is a multilateral agency which has a joint mandate with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The he ...

, a joint agency of the

and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

from August 2013 until January 2020.

Early life and education

Born in San Sebastián on 22 May 1969, González Laya grew up in the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

municipality of Tolosa. She graduated in law from the

University of Navarre , image = UNAV.svg , latin_name = Universitas Studiorum Navarrensis , established = 17 October 1952 , type = Private, Roman Catholic , chancellor = Fernando Ocáriz Braña , president = María Iraburu Eliz ...

and has a postgraduate degree in

European law European Union law is a system of rules operating within the member states of the European Union (EU). Since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community following World War II, the EU has developed the aim to "promote peace, its valu ...

from Carlos III University of Madrid.

Career

Career in the private sector

González Laya began her career in the private sector as an associate at German law firm Bruckhaus Westrick Stegemann in Brussels, advising companies on trade, competition and state aid matters.

Career in the public sector

Between 2002 and 2005 González Laya was the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

’s spokeswoman for trade and adviser to the

European Commissioner for Trade The European Commissioner for Trade (sometimes referred to as the ''EU Trade Commissioner'') is the member of the European Commission responsible for the European Union's common commercial policy. Responsibilities The Commissioner heads up the ...

Pascal Lamy Pascal Lamy (born 8 April 1947) is a French political consultant and businessman. He was the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 1 September 2005 to 1 September 2013 for 8 years. In April 2009, WTO members reappointed La ...

. She subsequently served in various capacities in the Commission in the area of international trade and external relations, including negotiations of trade agreements between the EU and

Mercosur The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Arge ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and Mediterranean countries. González Laya served as Chief of Staff to

in his role as WTO Director General between 2005 and 2013. In that capacity she was intimately involved in setting up the WTO's

Aid for Trade Aid for Trade is an initiative by the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as a policy concept in international economic and trade development, concerned with helping developing countries and particularly the least developed countries build ...

initiativeRyan Heath and Eline Schaart (2018)
Women Who Shape Brussels - 2018 Ranking: Arancha González
''

Politico Europe ''Politico Europe'' (stylized as ''POLITICO Europe'') is the European edition of the German-owned news organization ''Politico'' reporting on political affairs of the European Union. Its headquarters are located in Brussels with additional offices ...

''. as well as the

Enhanced Integrated Framework The Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Assistance for the Least Developed Countries (commonly abbreviated as EIF) is a global development program with the objective of supporting least developed countries (LDCs) to better integrate i ...

, a joint venture of several international organisations helping to build trade capacity in the world's poorest countries. She served as the WTO Director-General's representative (Sherpa) at the

G-20 The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, ...

. During her tenure as Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, González Laya spearheaded global efforts to empower women economically. This included the launch in 2015 of th
SheTrades Initiative
which aims to connect three million women entrepreneurs to market by 2021. She also played a leading role in the adoption of th

at the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2017. In 2019, González co-edited "Women Shaping Global Economic Governance", a collection of essays by 28 women leaders from across the globe. In 2014, González Laya launched the firs
Trade for Sustainable Development Forum
gathering public and private sectors in an effort to drive the debate on the greening of trade and addressing trade and climate change. The 6th edition of the Trade for Sustainable Forum was held on 7–9 October 2019.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation

On 13 January 2020 González Laya was sworn in Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Sánchez Second Cabinet, succeeding

Margarita Robles María Margarita Robles Fernández (born November 10, 1956 in León) is a Spanish judge and politician, currently serving as Minister of Defence since June 2018. From November 2019 to January 2020, she served as Acting Minister of Foreign Affai ...

as acting Minister. In May 2020, some media echoed rumors implying González Laya would be the favorite to lead the

(WTO) following the announcement that the Director-General,

Roberto Azevêdo Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (; born 3 October 1957) is a Brazilian career diplomat who served as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 2013 until 2020. Since 2020, he has been Executive Vice President and Director of Corpo ...

, would resign in August 2020; by July, she ruled out any candidacy for the role. In December 2020, González Laya said that Spain welcomed the normalization of relations between

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, but reminded that the issue of

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

remained to be settled within the

. On 31 December 2020, González Laya reached an agreement in principle with the United Kingdom regarding

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, amid the end of the Brexit transition period. In 2021, González Laya presented a new "Strategy on Foreign Action", the blueprint for Spain's foreign policy for the next three years. In July 2021, González Laya was replaced with

José Manuel Albares José Manuel Albares Bueno (born 22 March 1972) is a Spanish diplomat who has been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez since 2021. Early life and educatio ...

in a cabinet reshuffle affecting five other posts. In September 2021, European Commissioner

Paolo Gentiloni Paolo Gentiloni Silveri (; born 22 November 1954) is an Italian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Economy in the von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019. He previously served as prime minister of Italy from December ...

appointed González Laya as chair of the Wise Persons Group on Challenges Facing the Customs Union.

Dean of the
Paris School of International Affairs The Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) is a graduate school of Sciences Po (also referred to as the ''Institut d'études politiques de Paris'') based in Paris, France, and it is generally considered to be one of the top rated and most ...
, 2022–present

On 18 February Sciences Po appointed González Laya as Dean of the

effective 1 March 2022. She is the first woman to hold this position. PSIA keeps its second place worldwide in "Politics & International Studies" for the second year in the 2021 QS World University Rankings.

Other activities

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...

(ECFR), Member (since 2021) * Africa Europe Foundation (AEF), Member of the High-Level Group of Personalities on Africa-Europe Relations (since 2020) * Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies, Member of the Board of Trustees *

International Gender Champions International Gender Champions (IGC) is a network of female and male leaders of member states, international organizations, and civil society working for gender equality. It is an initiative of Women@TheTable, and was founded in 2015 by Caitlin Kr ...

(IGC), Chair of the Global Advisory Board (since 2019) *

(ITC), chair of the advisory board on Trade and Investment Support Institutions *

Mo Ibrahim Foundation The Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006. It was founded by Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese billionaire businessman and philanthropist, who founded the telecommunications company Celtel International in 1998. Ibrahim is the chairman. Other boar ...

, Member of the Advisory Council *

(PSIA), Member of the Strategic Committee *

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

(WEF), Co-chair of the Global Future Council on the Future of International Trade and InvestmentArancha González Laya

(WEF).
EU-Africa High-level group
member * Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, commissioner

Political positions

González has been an advocate for Spanish unity and dialogue on the Catalan independence issue.

Personal life

González has taught extensively on trade and development, including at the

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

(Bruges), the IELPO (Barcelona), the World Trade Institute (WTI) and the

Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE; ), known as Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade before 2013, is a public university in Shanghai, China. Founded in 1960, SUIBE is an institution of higher learning formerly sub ...

. She speaks six languages: Spanish, Basque, English, French, German and Italian. Her hobbies include trekking and arts.

References

* * * * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Laya, Arancha 1969 births Living people People from San Sebastián Basque women in politics Charles III University of Madrid alumni Female foreign ministers Foreign ministers of Spain People in international development People from Tolosa, Spain Spanish officials of the United Nations Spanish women lawyers United Nations officials University of Navarra alumni Women nonprofit executives World Trade Organization people