Former Spanish Employment Minister Fátima Báñez was confirmed Thursday to be among the victims of the deadly train collision outside Toledo, Spain, in which at least 69 people died. The former minister’s death was announced by CEOE, Spain’s main employers’ association, whose foundation she chaired. Within hours of the crash, authorities said the former minister was traveling in one of the carriages most affected by the collision, but were unable to confirm she was among the dead until Thursday.
Báñez served in center-right Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government from 2011 to 2018 and played a central role in Spain’s response to the eurozone crisis. During that period, she developed a warm personal relationship with Ursula von der Leyen, now European Commission president, who was then her counterpart in Germany’s labor ministry. As employment minister, Báñez oversaw the conservative government’s controversial 2012 labor-market reform, which made it easier for companies to dismiss workers and drew fierce opposition from trade unions.
The administration argued the changes would make hiring more flexible and accelerate the country’s economic recovery. Speaking from the crash site Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared three days of national mourning. Puente insisted Spain has “a safe transport system,” but acknowledged that “human action plays a role” and that, despite extensive safety regulations and protocols, “failures can occur.”
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