Spain proposes Energy Minister Ribera for EU Commissioner post

By Belén Carreño

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain has proposed its Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera as a European Union Commissioner, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Ribera has shepherded Spain's green agenda since 2018, championing a harder, faster transition to a zero-carbon economy, prioritising renewable energy such as solar and wind over gas and nuclear plants, which she advocates phasing out.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office has sent a formal letter proposing that Ribera, 55, be appointed to the new Commission headed by Ursula von der Leyen, the government spokesman said, confirming an earlier report by state news agency EFE.

The Spanish government and the S&D group of social democrats in the European Parliament will push to give Ribera a broader portfolio beyond climate matters, a source with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters.

Consolidating a single market for energy and implementing clean tech industry policies could be among the new subjects added to Ribera's remit, the source added.

Ribera is also expected to vie for one of the Commission's vice presidencies. The dearth of strong female candidates would pave the way for such an appointment, a source within Ribera's Socialist Party said.

Since Spain held the EU's rotating presidency, Ribera was a key figure at the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, reinforcing her image as one of the fiercest proponents of Europe's agenda to combat climate change.

Issues such as the nuclear phase-out and the biogas industry generated tension between Ribera and big energy players and business lobbies, while environmental groups criticised the energy plan for not doing enough to tackle climate change.

(Reporting by Belén Carreño and Inti Landauro; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Philippa Fletcher)

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