Clara Martínez Alberola
Spanish lawyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clara Martínez Alberola (born 1963 in Valencia) is a Spanish lawyer and a European civil servant. From March 2018 to November 2019, she served as the Head of Cabinet to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.[1]
Clara Martínez Alberola | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Head of the UK Task Force | |
| In office 6 January 2020 – 31 March 2021 | |
Head | Michel Barnier |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | João Vale de Almeida (As Ambassador to the United Kingdom) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| University of Valencia | |
Early life and education
Martínez Alberola studied law in Valencia before enrolling at the College of Europe. She speaks English, French, Italian and some Portuguese.[2]
Career
Martínez Alberola was one of the first Spanish citizens to join the European Civil Service in 1991, only a few years after her country's accession to the European Union.[2] At the European Commission, she served as an expert in internal market affairs, enlargement and pharmaceutical issues with the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs before becoming an adviser to President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso in 2005.[2]
Later, Martínez Alberola held the role of deputy head of cabinet to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, before being appointed head following the promotion of Martin Selmayr to Secretary General.[3] At the time, she was the first woman to occupy the position of head of cabinet.[4]
On 6 January 2020, Martínez Alberola was appointed Deputy to Deputy Head of the UK Task Force Michel Barnier for the post-Brexit trade negotiations.[5][6]
Personal life
Martínez Alberola is married to Italian lawyer and academic Massimo Merola. The couple lives in Brussels.[7]
