Education
Autonomous University of Madrid.
Autonomous University of Madrid.
She is widely considered to be a confidante of former Spanish prime ministers Felipe González and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Born in Málaga on 4 June 1962, the third of nine children, Jiménez has a law degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Jiménez is an international relations specialist by profession.
Jiménez joined the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) a year later.
Jiménez chaired the International Relations Committee of Spain’s Youth Council and served on its Permanent Committee (1984–1986). She was Spanish representative on a North American North Atlantic Treaty Organization Youth Exchange Program (1989) and headed the "New Programs and Development" department of the Spanish delegation of the American Field Service.
Jiménez also helped run the Office of the Secretary General of the National Commission for the Fifth Centennial of the Discovery of America. Between 1990 and 1992, Jiménez lived in Equatorial Guinea, working as a Professor-Tutor in Political Law at the National Distance Education University ( Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia) and at the Spanish College in Bata.
She later served as her parliamentary group"s spokesperson on foreign affairs
In 2003 Jiménez was chosen to be Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party)"s candidate for the Mayor of Madrid, but prior to the election was called to other duties in a new post in the Foreign Ministry as Spain"s Secretary of State for Ibero-America. In March 2008 she was elected to the Spanish Congress representing Madrid but resigned after only a month. On 7 April 2009, Jiménez was chosen by the Spanish Prime Minister to be the Minister of Health and Social Affairs.
Shortly after, on 20 October 2010, she was appointed by Zapatero to be the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle, replacing Miguel Ángel Moratinos.
In her capacity as foreign minister, she met with Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang during his high-profile visit to Spain in 2011. Also, she led negotiations with the United States. on cleaning Palomares, Western Europe’s most radioactive site forty-five years after narrowly avoiding nuclear obliteration in a United States. Air Force accident.
In 2014, Jiménez succeeded Elena Valenciano as her parliamentary group"s spokeswoman in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Congress of Deputies. In this capacity, she made headlines when she promoted a non-binding motion in 2014 which "urged" the government to recognize a Palestinian state, angering the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Spanish initiative came after lawmakers in Britain and Ireland called for their governments to recognize a Palestinian state.
Jiménez expressed disagreement with Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera over the latter"s contention that abortion was morally worse than pedophilia.
Jiménez expressed disagreement with Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera over the latter"s contention that abortion was morally worse than pedophilia.
In 2010, Jiménez provoked controversy and scathing criticism from opponents of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez when she said that that there were no political prisoners in Venezuela.
Member of the Spanish Government, 2009–2011.