He has served as minister of Development (of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda since 2020) of the Government of Spain from 2018 to 2021, in the cabinets chaired by Pedro Sánchez.

[1] He is the son of bullfighter Heliodoro Ábalos "Carbonerito" and the grandson of a Civil Guard officer, Julián Meco, who died in active service because of a pneumonia during the Revolution of 1934.

After the November election, PSOE reached a deal with Unidas Podemos to form a coalition government presided by Sánchez, and Ábalos was confirmed on its position as Minister, although the portfolio was renamed as Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.

[12] In January 2020, Ábalos met in the guest area of the Madrid–Barajas Airport with Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President of Venezuela, despite the entry ban imposed by the European Union.

On 20 February 2024, Ábalos' former advisor Koldo García Izaguirre and his wife were arrested by Central Operative Unit officers on suspicion of illegally taking commission on sales of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[17] On 7 November 2024, the Supreme Court opened a case against Ábalos on suspicion of corruption, embezzlement, influence peddling and organised crime.