Loyola de Palacio
| In office 16 September 1999 – 21 November 2004 | |
| President | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Erkki Liikanen (Parliamentary Relations) Neil Kinnock (Transport) Christos Papoutsis (Energy) |
| Succeeded by | Siim Kallas (Parliamentary Relations) Jacques Barrot (Transport) Andris Piebalgs (Energy) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ignacia de Loyola de Palacio y del Valle Lersundi 16 September 1950 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 13 December 2006 (aged 56) Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | People's Party |
Ignacia de Loyola de Palacio y del Valle Lersundi (16 September 1950 – 13 December 2006) was a Spanish politician. She was among the first women to rise to political prominence in Spain during the early years of reconstituted democracy. She was a minister in the Spanish government from 1996 to 1998 (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), and a member of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004.
Early life and education
De Palacio was born in
Political career
In 1976, Palacio was a founder member of the moderate-wing
Palacio headed the Partido Popular's list in the
Life after politics
After leaving the commission on 21 November 2004, Palacio became a director at the banks
Personal life
Her sister is Ana Palacio.
Palacio was a devout Roman Catholic but denied being connected with the
Palacio was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer in 2006, and was treated in Houston and Madrid for five months. She died in Madrid, at the Social Security: '12 de Octubre' University Hospital, in the frame of a malignancy. Following her death a state memorial was made in which all parties, including the left-wing coalition United Left (Formed by Communist party, Humanist party, and others) and PP critics, united to remember her policies to improve EU regulations.
Since 2008, the European Commission has created a European Policy Chair named "Loyola de Palacio"[2] at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in the European University Institute in Italy.
Notes
- ^ "Obituary". The Independent. UK. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
Loyola de Palacio was on the right of a conservative party, and her devout Catholicism prompted accusations that she was a member of the ultra-conservative, partly hidden Opus Dei. Her riposte was unanswerable: 'How can I be a member of Opus with a name like Loyola?' Ignacio Loyola's Jesuits are seen by some as bitter opponents of Opus Dei.
- ^ Loyola de Palacio Chair Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
External links
References
- Michael Eaude (15 December 2006). "Obituary: Loyola de Palacio – Spanish minister and EU commissioner". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
- "Obituary: Loyola de Palacio – Politician and EU commissioner". The Independent. UK. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
- "Obituaries: Loyola de Palacio, former EU official, dies at 56". International Herald-Tribune. 14 December 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
- "Obituaries: Loyola de Palacio – Spanish politician who helped shape European policy". The Times. UK. 17 January 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
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