Iratxe García Pérez (; born 7 October 1974) is a Spanish politician of the
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). She has served as
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
since 2004, and has served as the Leader of the
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the Political groups of the European Parliament, political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and ...
parliamentary group since 2019.
Biography
Early life
Born on 7 October 1974 in
Barakaldo
Barakaldo (; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Biscay province in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in Spain. Located on the Left Bank (Biscay), Left Bank of the Estuary of Bilbao, the city is pa ...
,
Biscay, she obtained a diplomature in Social Work at the
University of Valladolid in 1995. A resident of
Laguna de Duero, she served as municipal councillor of Laguna de Duero and as member of the Valladolid Provincial Deputation from 1995 to 2000.
Member of the Spanish Parliament, 2000–2004
García became a member of the
Congress of Deputies
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has ...
after being elected in the
2000 general election in representation of
Valladolid
Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
.
Member of the European Parliament, 2004–present
In her first parliamentary term between 2004 and 2009, García served on the
Committee on Regional Development (REGI), the Delegation to the
Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), and the Delegation for Relations with the Maghreb countries and the
Arab Maghreb Union (including
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
).
She also serves on the
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and the Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the
Arab Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
. In addition, she is a member of the
European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights and of the European Parliament Intergroup on the
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...
.
In July 2014, García was elected chairwoman of the
European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). In September 2014, PSOE chairman
Pedro Sánchez appointed her as head of the party's delegation of MEPs in the
S&D Group, replacing
Elena Valenciano. Following the
2019 European Parliament election, the S&D Group chose García as new leader, a day after incumbent
Udo Bullmann withdrew his candidacy. In March 2021, as leader of the S&D Group, she together with the parliamentary group opposed a debate on the murder of
Daphne Caruana Galizia and corruption revelation in
Maltese politics.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Iratxe
1974 births
Living people
Spanish municipal councillors
Members of the 7th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
MEPs for Spain 2004–2009
MEPs for Spain 2009–2014
MEPs for Spain 2014–2019
MEPs for Spain 2019–2024
21st-century women MEPs for Spain
People from Barakaldo
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party MEPs
Basque women in politics
University of Valladolid alumni
20th-century Spanish women
MEPs for Spain 2024–2029