FIIAPP is consolidated as an instrument for foreign operations

Eduardo Gonzalez

Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, chaired for the second time the Board of Trustees of the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), which has modified its mandate to include foreign activities in addition to its usual international cooperation on issues of administration and public policy.

Yesterday, a meeting of the Board of Trustees was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Santa Cruz Palace, where the Statute was updated in accordance with the mandate established in the new Law 1/2023, of February 20, on cooperation for sustainable development and global solidarity.

José Manuel Albares took over as president of FIIAPP on January 26, with the aim of giving greater weight to the foundation’s contribution to Spain’s international activities and recognizing “its role as a facilitator of international cooperation between Spanish public administrations,” FIIAPP said at the time.

As a result of this change, the position of Prime Minister was taken over by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rather than the First Vice-President of the Government, and on 29 February the Trusteeship Council consolidated the inclusion of the four ministries “with the greatest international reach” (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Integration and the Ministry of Justice) and the entire leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (four secretaries of state and the director of the AECID).

With this new framework of action, the Board of Trustees yesterday modified the mandate of the FIIAPP so that it goes beyond the “framework of development cooperation, which is also to be configured as an instrument of external action in favour of the public sector, within the framework of Law 2/2014, of 25 March, on the activities and foreign service of the State”, which includes a set of activities of public bodies, organisations and entities abroad to which it ensures internal coherence.

According to its new statute, FIIAPP will continue to support public policy reform processes and the development of institutional capacity in third countries and policy dialogue mechanisms, but will also take on “an important function of innovation in public policies, governance and public management through the internationalisation of the public sector and its institutions”.

“The Foundation will specialize in the promotion and management of the participation of public administrations and their organizations in Spanish and European cooperation programs and projects, directing these activities towards achieving sustainable development results, in accordance with article 33 of Law 1/2023, of February 20, on cooperation for sustainable development and global solidarity,” states the new text.

“The Foundation’s Board of Trustees continues its reform in line with the changes introduced since February 2024, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation took over the presidency, giving a more prominent role to the standing committee and integrating new members,” FIIAPP continued. The statute will be processed as a royal decree in the coming weeks.
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