Josep Borrell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Vice-President of the European Commission | |
| In office 1 December 2019 – 30 November 2024 | |
| President | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Preceded by | Federica Mogherini |
| Succeeded by | Kaja Kallas |
| High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy | |
| In office 1 December 2019 – 30 November 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Federica Mogherini |
| Succeeded by | Kaja Kallas |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation | |
| In office 7 June 2018 – 30 November 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Pedro Sánchez |
| Preceded by | Alfonso Dastis (Foreign Affairs and Cooperation) |
| Succeeded by | Margarita Robles (acting) |
| President of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 16 January 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Cox |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Gert Pöttering |
| Minister of Public Works and Environment | |
| In office 12 March 1991 – 6 May 1996 | |
| Prime Minister | Felipe González |
| Preceded by | Javier Sáenz de Cosculluela |
| Succeeded by | Rafael Arias-Salgado |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 26 May 1998 – 14 May 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | José María Aznar |
| Preceded by | Joaquín Almunia |
| Succeeded by | Joaquín Almunia |
| Member of the European Parliament forSpain | |
| In office 13 June 2004 – 7 June 2009 | |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 15 July 1986 – 2 April 2004 | |
| Constituency | Barcelona |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Josep Borrell Fontelles (1947-04-24)24 April 1947 (age 77) La Pobla de Segur, Spain |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (since 1975) |
| Other political affiliations | Party of European Socialists |
| Spouse(s) | Carolina Mayeur (div.) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Technical University of Madrid (BS) Complutense University (PhD) Stanford University (MS) French Institute of Petroleum (Postgraduate) |
Borrell's speech following theRussian invasion of Ukraine Recorded 24 February 2022 | |
Josep Borrell Fontelles (Western Catalan:[dʒuˈzɛbboˈreʎfonˈteʎes]; born 24 April 1947) is a Spanish politician who served asHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy andVice-President of the European Commission from 2019 to 2024. A member of theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), he served asPresident of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007 and as Spain'sMinister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation from 2018 to 2019.
Born and raised in the Catalan village ofLa Pobla de Segur, Borrell is an aeronautical engineer and economist by training as well as professor of mathematics. He entered politics in the 1970s as a member of the PSOE duringSpain's transition to democracy, and went on to serve in several positions during the governments ofFelipe González, first within the Ministry of Economy and Finance as General Secretary for the Budget and Public Spending (1982–1984) and Secretary of State for Finance (1984–1991), then joining theCouncil of Ministers asMinister of Public Works and Transport (1991–1996). In the opposition after the 1996 election, Borrell unexpectedly won the PSOE primary in 1998 and becameLeader of the Opposition and the designated prime ministerial candidate of the party until he resigned in 1999. He then switched to European politics, becoming aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) during the 2004–2009 legislative period and serving asPresident of the European Parliament for the first half of the term.
He returned to theCouncil of Ministers in June 2018, when he was appointedMinister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation in theSánchez government. In July 2019, Borrell was announced as theEuropean Council's nominee to be appointedHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He took office in December 2019.
Josep (or José)[n. 1] Borrell Fontelles was born on 24 April 1947 in the Catalan village ofLa Pobla de Segur,province of Lleida, near thePyrenees, son of Joan Borrell (father) and Luisa Fontelles Doll (mother).[1][2] He grew up in the village, where his father owned a small bakery.[3][4][5] His paternal grandparents were Spanish immigrants inArgentina, where they ran a bakery in the city ofMendoza, close to theGeneral San Martín Park.[5][6] They returned to Spain when Joan Borrell, Josep's father, was eight years old.[5][7] Borrell's father arrived in Spain just before the outbreak of theSpanish Civil War and afterwards he would never leave his village of La Pobla de Segur.[8]
After completing primary education, the remote location of his village led Josep Borrell to be home-schooled with aid from his mother and a retired teacher, taking the officialBaccalaureate exams at theLleida high school.[5][9] He continued his higher education thanks to several scholarships, including from theJuan March Foundation and theFulbright Program.[4][5][10][11] In 1964 he moved toBarcelona to study industrial engineering, but left after a year in 1965 to study aeronautical engineering at theTechnical University of Madrid (UPM),[5][9] graduating in 1969. In the summer of 1969 Borrell worked as volunteer at theGal Onkibbutz in Israel, where he met his future French wife Caroline Mayeur,[5][12] from whom he is now divorced.
During this time he also began to study for a bachelor's degree and later a PhD in economics at theComplutense University of Madrid (UCM). Borrell also holds a master's degree in applied mathematics (operations research) fromStanford University in Palo Alto (California, US), and a postgraduate in energy economics from theFrench Institute of Petroleum in Paris (France).[5][13] In May 1976 Borrell defended hisPhD thesis in economics at theUCM.[14][15]
From 1972 to 1982 he lectured in mathematics at the Higher Technical School of Aeronautical Engineering of theUPM.[13] In 1982 he was appointed associate professor of Business Mathematics at theUniversity of Valladolid.[16] From 1975 to 1982 he also worked forCepsa, employed at the company's Department of Systems and Information Engineering; he combined this activity with the teaching of university classes and involvement in local politics.[9][17][18][19]
Borrell joined theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in 1975 and started his political activity duringSpain's transition to democracy in theSocialist Grouping of Madrid along withLuis Solana andLuis Carlos Croissier.[20][21][22] He ran for office as the number 5 in the PSOE list for the1979 municipal election inMajadahonda, becoming city councillor. Borrell also became a member of the 1979–1983 corporation of theProvincial Deputation of Madrid and managed the Financial Department of the provincial government body in the pre-autonomic period.[23][24][25]
In the1982 general election the PSOE won a landslide victory, returning the socialists to power for the first time since the years of theSecond Republic.[26][27] Under Prime MinisterFelipe González, Borrell was appointed to several prominent positions within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, first as General Secretary for the Budget and Public Spending (1982–1984),[28] and then as Secretary of State for Finance (1984–1991).[29][30] During his tenure as Secretary of State for Finance, Spain joined theEuropean Economic Community in 1986. He became known for his actions seeking to combat fraud andtax evasion, going after the rich and famous, including celebrities such asLola Flores,Marujita Díaz or Pedro Ruiz.[31][32][33][34] In the1986 general election he was for the first time elected to theCongress of Deputies, remaining as anMP representingBarcelona until 2004.[35][36][37][38][39]
In 1991 he joined theCouncil of Ministers asMinister of Public Works and Transport.[40][41]
He took a role in the process ofliberalization of telecommunications in Spain,[42] promoting the 1991–2001 National Plan of Telecommunications (PNT); in 1993, Borrell threatened nonetheless theEuropean Commission with blocking the liberalization unless the concession of a moratory Spain was given, as Borrell deemed imperative to achieve first the universalization of service before the complete liberalization.[43]
Following the1993 general election, Borrell continued with a seat at theCouncil of Ministers, assuming the portfolio of Minister of Public Works, Transports and Environment in the last government presided by Felipe González. He left the office after the arrival to power of thePeople's Party in 1996, remaining as an MP for Barcelona in the Spanish Congress.[citation needed]
In 1998 Borrell decided to run against thePSOE's then party leaderJoaquín Almunia[44] in the first nationalprimary election ever held in the PSOE since theSecond Republic,[45] intended to determine who the party would nominate as its prime ministerial candidate vis-à-vis the2000 general election. Borrell ran as the underdog, campaigning as the candidate of the socialist base against the party establishment,[46][47][48][49][50] and surprisingly won the voting,[51] commanding 114,254 of the member's votes (54.99%), versus the 92,860 (44.67%) obtained by Almunia.[52][53] Thus began an uneasy relationship and power-sharing—the "bicefalia" (duumvirate)—between the official party leader, Almunia, and the prime ministerial candidate elected by the members in the primaries, Borrell.[54][55][56][57]
However, in May 1999, a fraud investigation was launched into two officials whom, several years earlier, Borrell had appointed to senior posts in the finance ministry. Though not involved in the inquiry into property purchases, Borrell resigned from the role of Prime Ministerial candidate, stating that he did not want the affair to damage his party's chances in the upcoming local and general elections.[3]
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Amid the sixth term of the Cortes Generales, Borrell was elected to chair theJoint Congress-Senate Committee for the European Union in October 1999,[58] replacingPedro Solbes. Reelected asMP for Barcelona in the2000 general election, Borrell repeated as president of the Joint Committee for the European Union for the full 7th parliamentary term.[58][59][60] Then, in 2001, Borrell was also appointed theSpanish parliament's representative on theConvention on the Future of Europe.[3][59][60] In 2011 he was awarded Spain's medal of theOrder of Constitutional Merit in recognition of his participation in this convention, which drafted theEuropean Constitution that eventually led to theTreaty of Lisbon.[61] During his time at the convention, he unsuccessfully pushed for a mention to a "federal model" in the draft, as well as he advocated for the explicit mention of the equality between women and men. A laicist, he also opposed then the inclusion of the notion of a "Christian heritage" in the text.[62]
In 2004, prime minister and PSOE's leaderJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero proposed Borrell to lead the Socialist Ticket in the2004 European elections.[63] The PSOE won the elections with 6,6 million votes (43,30%), obtaining 25 MEP seats, although turnout was relatively low at 46%.[64][65] Borrell sat with theParty of European Socialists (PES) group, and served as leader of the Spanish delegation.[citation needed]
In July 2004 Borrell was electedPresident of the European Parliament, as a result of an agreement between theEPP and theSocialists, becoming the third Spaniard to hold this position afterEnrique Barón andJosé María Gil-Robles.[66][67][68] In the presidential vote, out of 700Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) he received an absolute majority with 388 votes in the first ballot. The other two candidates were the Polish LiberalBronisław Geremek (208 votes) and the French communistFrancis Wurtz (51 votes).[69] He was the first newly elected MEP to hold the post since direct elections were held in 1979.[70] As part of a deal with the conservative faction in the parliament, theEPP, he was succeeded as president of the parliament by the German conservative politicianHans-Gert Pöttering in the second part of the five-year term.[71]
In his capacity as president, Borrell also chaired the Parliament's temporary committee on policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007–2013. From 2007 until leaving the Parliament in 2009,[72] he served as chairman of theCommittee on Development. In addition to his committee assignments, he was a member of the Parliament's delegation to theACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.[citation needed]
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Borrell was nominated president of theEuropean University Institute on 12 December 2008, and assumed this position in January 2010. In 2012, he was forced to resign after failing to disclose a financial relationship withAbengoa, which paid him €300,000 yearly as a board member for the company.[72]
In 2012, theUniversity of Lleida appointed Borrell to a professorship of competition and regional development sponsored by energy companyRepsol.[72] He also held the Jean Monnet Chair at the Institute of International Studies atComplutense University of Madrid.[citation needed]
Borrell collaborated along with other prominent PSOE figures, such asCristina Narbona,José Félix Tezanos andManuel Escudero, in the making ofSomos socialistas. Por una nueva socialdemocracia ("We are socialists. For a new social-democracy"), a manifesto in support ofPedro Sánchez's successful bid to the leadership of the PSOE in theMay 2017 PSOE primary election prior to the 39th Federal Congress of the party.[73]
He also stood out as one of the most outspoken opponents ofCatalan secessionism. Borrell co-authoredLas cuentas y los cuentos de la independencia ("The calculations and tales behind independence"), a 2015 essay that vowed to dismantle the economic arguments laid out by the pro-independence movement.[74] He also took a leading role in a mass rally defending the unity of Spain held in Barcelona on 8 October 2017, in which Borrell gave an impassionated speech demanding "not to bring up more frontiers" while displaying a European Union flag that he called "ourestelada" (starred flag),[75][76][77] bringing him back to the media first line.[78][79] He also took part on a second mass rally on 29 October 2017 under the slogan "We are all Catalonia".[80][81]
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Following the2018 successful motion of no confidence against Mariano Rajoy and subsequent investiture ofPedro Sánchez as new prime minister, Borrell was announced on 5 June as Sánchez's choice for the post of foreign minister inhis new government.[82] 22 years after the end of his last tenure as member of theGovernment of Spain, Borrell assumed the portfolio ofForeign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation on 7 June along the rest of the new cabinet inLa Zarzuela.[83] The new minister relocated some of the high-rank officials appointed by the government of Mariano Rajoy with a diplomatic background to ambassadorial posts, including secretaries of State and, most notably, the former foreign minister (Alfonso Dastis) and theprime minister's chief of staff (Jorge Moragas).[84]
Borrell decided to reformulate the High Commissioner for the 'Marca España' (Spain Brand), a one-person body functionally dependent directly on the Office of the Prime Minister but organically included within the Foreign Office structure to the post ofSecretary of State for Global Spain.[85] The officeholder responsible for the 'Marca España' since 2012, TheMarquess of Valtierra, was replaced byIrene Lozano.[86]
In June 2018, Borrell accompaniedKing Felipe VI on an official visit to the US.[87] Borrell had a meeting withMike Pompeo, where the Spanish delegation expressed concern over the US protectionist drift; discrepancies were found between the two countries in their approach to migration policies.[88]
In September 2018, theNational Securities Market Commission (CNMV) settled a disciplinary action against Borrell opened in 2017 due to the latter'sinsider trading in the sale of stocks ofAbengoa (whoseboard of directors Borrell was a member of) in November 2015, sanctioning him with a fine of30,000€.[89][n. 2]
Regarding the negotiations with theUnited Kingdom onGibraltar in the context ofBrexit, Borrell vowed to prioritise improvement of the living conditions in neighbouringCampo de Gibraltar[91] (he reportedly considered the reality of the "3rd territory with the highest GDP per capita in the World"—Gibraltar—surrounded by "a flatland of underdevelopment"—the Campo de Gibraltar—as something unacceptable).[92][93] On the other hand, he renounced attempts to include the longstanding bid for sovereignty as an element of the negotiations.[91] Borrell highlighted the fact that this soft approach was the same stance used by his predecessor, Dastis, outlining a continuity in the negotiations with the former government, with the ministry keeping the same negotiating team as before the government change.[94][95] In November 2018, he signed fourMoUs negotiated with the United Kingdom, settling aspects of the future relationship with theBritish Overseas Territory.[96]
Given the aggravation of thepolitical crisis in Nicaragua, in December 2018 Borrell pressed EU High Representative for Foreign AffairsFederica Mogherini for EU-wide involvement in the situation.[97]
In May 2019, the Spanish Embassy inCaracas lodged Venezuelan dissidentLeopoldo López as a guest following theVenezuelan uprising, as the latter had been freed from domiciliary imprisonment by forces endorsingJuan Guaidó. However, Borrell warned Spain was not going "to allow the embassy to become a centre of political activism", vowing to restrict the political activities of López as a guest.[98]
For the2019 European Parliament election in Spain, Borrell ran first in the PSOE list.[99] During the electoral campaign, he appealed to the unity of Europe and stressed the need for EU member states to pool sovereignty in order to survive as a civilization.[100] Shortly after his election, he gave up his newly won seat before the inaugural session of the legislature, arguing that acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez and he had agreed that, amid the uncertainty regarding the second investiture of Sánchez, the post of foreign minister should not be left vacant for an indefinite period.[101]
In October 2019, Borrell condemned theTurkish offensive into north-eastern Syria againstSyrian Kurds, adding that "We don't have magic powers" to stop the Turkish invasion.[102]
He stepped down from the office on 29 November 2019 and was succeededad interim by theMinister of Defence,Margarita Robles.[103][104]
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On 2 July 2019,President of the European CouncilDonald Tusk announced that theEuropean Council would nominate Josep Borrell asHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.[105] The portfolio had been reportedly beefed up with additional responsibilities inhumanitarian aid, support of development policies in Africa and the external dimension of immigration.[106] Also in July 2019, he announced the acquisition of double Argentine–Spanish citizenship, assumed on 18 July 2019, thus gaining the citizenship his father was born with.[107][108] He passed the hearing before theEuropean Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on 7 October 2019. His nomination was green-lighted the next day by a vote of AFET members.[109][110]
To counter its negative image in the EU,China sent medical aid and supplies to EU countries affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[111] Borrell warned that there is "a geopolitical component, including a struggle for influence through spinning and the 'politics of generosity'." He also said that "China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, it is a responsible and reliable partner."[112]
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Borrell said thatproposed Israeli annexation of the West Bank "could not pass unchallenged" and warned that "failure to adequately respond would encourage other states with territorial claims to disregard basic principles of international law".[113][114] He said that "In line with international law and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, the EU does not recognize Israel's sovereignty" over thePalestinian territories occupied since 1967.[115] Borrell hailed thepeace agreement betweenIsrael and theUnited Arab Emirates as benefiting both nations and being important for stability in the Middle East. He also called Israeli suspension of its annexation plans positive and stated that the European Union hoped for atwo-state solution.[116]
On 9 April 2020, Borrell, on behalf of the EU, with the release of the first report of the Investigation and Identification Team to the Executive Council of theOrganisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and to theSecretary-General of theUnited Nations on 8 April 2020, declared that "We fully support the report's findings and note with great concern its conclusions. The European Union strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by theSyrian Arab Air Force as concluded by the report. Those identified responsible for the use of chemical weapons must be held accountable for these reprehensible acts."[117]
On 24 April, the EU's foreign security policy agency, theEuropean External Action Service (EEAS), published a report ondisinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.The New York Times reported that the language had been toned down amidcriticism from China. The final report differed in key areas from both an internal version and an earlier draft planned for public release. At a parliamentary hearing on 30 April, Borrell acknowledged that China had expressed concerns about the report after it leaked but he denied the EU had bowed to pressure or that the report had been revised.[118] Borrell said that there were two separate reports, one for internal consumption and one for publication. Responding to questions from members of the European Parliament, Borrell accused staff of damaging the EU by leaking. He also appeared to suggest that analysts' views were biased and cast doubt on their credibility: "I cannot accept that the personal belief or feeling of a member of staff leaking mails—maybe being written to be leaked—created damage to the credibility of the institution", he said, later asking MEPs why "more credibility" was being given "to the personal opinion of a member of a staff".[citation needed]
Multiple EU officials toldBuzzFeed News andThe New York Times that they were angry and disappointed by Borrell's focus on leaks and, in particular, his singling out of junior staff members.[119]
Concerning the long-standingAegean dispute between Turkey and Greece, Borrell in August 2020 expressed "full solidarity" withGreece andCyprus (Turkey hasoccupied northern Cyprus since July 1974)[120] and called for "immediate deescalation" by Turkey and "reengaging in dialogue."[121]
In October 2020, Borrell called onArmenia andAzerbaijan to cease fighting in the disputedNagorno-Karabakh region and return to the negotiating table.[122]
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In February 2021, Borrell voiced "strong concern" about China's "treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, in particular" ethnicUyghurs inXinjiang.[123] In March 2021, he said China'ssanctions on EU officials had created "a new atmosphere" and "a new situation".[124]
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Although warned against doing so by several EU countries, Borrell decided on his own initiative to make the first high-level EU trip of its type in four years to Russia amidst the2021 Russian protests, to meet withRussian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov. The visit was described byMEPs, diplomats and other political observers as a humiliation for Borrell, as he stood by while Lavrov called the EU an "unreliable partner" and Russia expelled three EU diplomats while Borrell and Lavrov held their joint press briefing.[125][126][127] This led to a group of over 70 MEPs to call for Borrell's resignation.[128]
In May 2021, Borrell called for aceasefire between Israel and the PalestinianIslamist groupHamas.[129]
In June 2021, the Spanish newspaperABC published a mail that described that Borrell had informed the Cuban embassy about the debate in the European Parliament about the situation inCuba and that showed his intention to stop the debate and prevent it from reaching the Parliament's floor. A group of at least 16 MEPs asked Borrell for explanations.[130]
In August 2021, Borrell received criticism for sending a high-ranking EU representative,Enrique Mora, to attend the inauguration ofIranian presidentEbrahim Raisi. Mora was seated directly behind senior leaders ofHamas andHezbollah during the ceremony.[131] Borrell's decision to send him there was blasted byDavid Lega and eight othermembers of the European Parliament who sent Borrell a letter stating that his action "contradicts European commitments to uphold and stand for human rights." The MEPs also pointed to Raisi's role in the1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners and warned that honoring the "inauguration of the 'Hangman of Tehran' only serves to encourage such behavior".[131]
In September 2021, Borrell compared the situation on theBelarus–Poland border to the migrant crisis on theMorocco–Spain border.[132]
In October 2021, he went toSaudi Arabia after visitingQatar and theUnited Arab Emirates.[133] Borrell said that the EU "now has human rights dialogues with all Gulf States and we launched such a dialogue with Saudi Arabia this week. This is an area where there is much to gain for both sides from closer cooperation."[134] Borrell and Saudi Arabia's Foreign MinisterFaisal bin Farhan Al Saud also discussed the conflict inYemen and the humanitarian situation inTaliban-controlledAfghanistan. Borell described the situation in Yemen as a "terrible tragedy" and called for a peaceful solution to thewar in Yemen, which is largely seen in the region as aproxy conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia.[135]
On 8 October 2021, Borrell said the EU'srelations with Turkey has significantly improved and he called his relationship with Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan "excellent".[136]
On 18 October 2021, Borrell argued that the2021 global energy crisis had "deep geopolitical roots. ... the price of gas, the scarcity, is something that has to be looked at from a geopolitical perspective."[137]
In December 2021, he criticised EU member states for not imposing sanctions onEthiopia, which was accused ofwar crimes during the Tigray War. Borrell said the situation in Ethiopia was "one of my biggest frustrations" of the year because the EU was not able to react properly to the large-scale human rights violations, "mass rapes using sexual violence as a war arm, killings and concentration camps based on ethnic belonging."[138]
On 22 February 2022, after Russia recognised the breakawayDonetsk People's Republic andLugansk People's Republic and subsequently sent troops into the two regions, Borrell issued a statement condemning the actions and called upon Russia to return to the tenets of theNormandy Format.[139] Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Borrell and European Commission presidentUrsula von der Leyen were part of an EU delegation visiting Kyiv on 8 April.[140] Borrell said he wants EU countries to confiscate frozenforeign-exchange reserves of the Russian central bank—which amount to over $300 billion—to cover the costs of rebuilding Ukraine after the war.[141][142]
In September 2022, he welcomed aUN report on thehuman rights abuses of theUyghur minority in China.[143]
On 13 October 2022, when speaking at the European Diplomatic Academy's inauguration ceremony in Bruges, Belgium, Borrell declared that "Europe is a garden and the rest of the world is a jungle." He added that the garden could be invaded by the jungle and that the gardeners would need to travel there in order to defend it.[144] On 18 October, in response to his comments, theMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates summoned the acting head of the EU mission at UAE to explain Borrell's remarks, stating that the remarks were "inappropriate and discriminatory" and "contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide."[145]
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In March 2023, after theEthiopia–Tigray peace agreement was signed and after talks with US Secretary of StateAntony Blinken, Borrell said that the European Union and the United States would normalize relations with Ethiopia "in a gradual way, step-by-step".[146]
In April 2023, he criticizedChina for itssupport of Russia, saying that "We have been clear with China that its position on Russia's atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing."[147]
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On 3 June 2023,Indonesian Defense MinisterPrabowo Subianto proposed a multi-pointpeace plan for theRussian invasion of Ukraine, calling for a ceasefire, a demilitarized zone observed and monitored byUN peacekeepers, and a U.N. referendum in what he called "disputed territory".[148][149] Borrell criticized Prabow's proposal, saying that "We need to bring peace to Ukraine", but it must be a "just peace, not a peace of surrender."[150]
On 21 September 2023, Borrell released a statement which condemned themilitary operation by Azerbaijan against the Armenian population ofNagorno-Karabakh and deplored the casualties and loss of life caused by the offensive.[151]
He condemned the "barbaric and terrorist attack" byHamas on Israel which started the2023 Israel–Hamas war. On 10 October 2023, Borrell accused Israel of breaking international law by imposing ablockade of the Gaza Strip.[152] On 3 January 2024, he condemned the comments of the Israeli ministersItamar Ben-Gvir andBezalel Smotrich, writing, "Forced displacements are strictly prohibited as a grave violation of [international humanitarian law] & words matter."[153][154][155] In March 2024, Borrell said Israel's depriving food from Palestinians was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and described theFlour massacre as "totally unacceptable carnage".[156] German ChancellorOlaf Scholz confronted Borrell over his months-long criticism of Israel, saying Borrell did not speak for Germany.[157]
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In April 2024, Borrell "strongly condemned" theIranian strikes on Israel, calling them "an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security".[158] Previously in March 2024, Borrell had stalled efforts by nine EU foreign ministers to sanction Iran over its missile and drone program, because he felt that new sanctions might hamper efforts to bind Iran to a nuclear non-proliferation deal.[159]
On 15 May 2024, Borrell called on Israel to immediately halt itsassault on Rafah, stating it was disrupting humanitarian aid and causing a humanitarian crisis, while also calling on Hamas to release allIsraeli hostages.[160] Borrell condemned theTel al-Sultan attack, saying that Israel's military actions needed to stop.[161]
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Borrell was first married to French sociologist Carolina Mayeur. The marriage produced two sons, Joan, a diplomat, and Lionel, an aircraft pilot.[175] Borrell and Mayeur divorced in the 1990s.[citation needed]
Since 1998, Borrell has been in a relationship withCristina Narbona, a SpanishPSOE politician and former Minister of Environment (2004–2008) in theZapatero administration.[176] The couple, resident inValdemorillo since 2001, married in July 2018.[175][177]
In 2019, he acquiredArgentine citizenship through descent, stating that he wished to honour the memory of his father, who grew up inMendoza, Argentina.[178]
Borrell speaksSpanish,Catalan,Italian,French andEnglish.[179]
He has been a keen participant in the annual festivity in his nativePobla de Segur descending theNoguera Pallaresa river, in which the stream is rowed down by the partakers aslog drivers (raiers).[1][5][180]
In November 2018, the national stock market regulator in Spain concluded that Borrell traded shares of the company Abengoa while in possession of insider information.[181] Borrell was fined 30,000 euros for the breach.[182]
| Election | List | Constituency | List position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majadahondamunicipal election, 1979 | PSOE | – | 5th (out of 17)[183] | Elected |
| Spanish general election, 1986 | PSC–PSOE | Barcelona | 8th (out of 33)[184] | Elected |
| Spanish general election, 1989 | PSC–PSOE | Barcelona | 5th (out of 32)[185] | Elected |
| Spanish general election, 1993 | PSC–PSOE | Barcelona | 2nd (out of 32)[186] | Elected |
| Spanish general election, 1996 | PSC–PSOE | Barcelona | 2nd (out of 31)[187] | Elected |
| Spanish general election, 2000 | PSC–PSOE | Barcelona | 2nd (out of 31)[188] | Elected |
| European Parliament election, 2004 | PSOE | Spain | 1st (out of 54)[189] | Elected |
| European Parliament election, 2019 | PSOE | Spain | 1st (out of 51)[190] | Elected |
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
Quotations related toJosep Borrell at Wikiquote| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Finance 1984–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works and Environment 1991–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Joint Congress-Senate Committee for the European Union 1999–2000; 2000–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the European Parliament 2004–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairperson of the European Parliament Committee on Development 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-President of the European Commission 2019–2024 | Succeeded by |
| High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 2019–2024 | ||
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition 1998–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Spanish European Commissioner 2019–present | Incumbent |
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| Preceded by | Leader of theSocialist Group in theCongress of Deputies 1998–1999 | Succeeded by |
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| Common Assembly: 1952–1958 | |
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| Parliamentary Assembly: 1958–1962 | |
| European Parliament (appointed): 1962–1979 | |
| European Parliament (elected): 1979–present | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
