National brawls plan on the Spanish presidency of the EU

The obvious complicity between Pedro Sánchez and Ursula von der Leyen, the leader of a progressive government in southern Europe and a German from the conservative family, has caused countless jokes and memes on social networks in recent times, in addition to dislikes to the opposition.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
05 November 2022 Saturday 18:32
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National brawls plan on the Spanish presidency of the EU

The obvious complicity between Pedro Sánchez and Ursula von der Leyen, the leader of a progressive government in southern Europe and a German from the conservative family, has caused countless jokes and memes on social networks in recent times, in addition to dislikes to the opposition.

The shared vision of the great challenges of the moment that, according to the Government, is the basis of this harmony is also the great asset with which it intends to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months on July 1, 2023. Spain, they say, has been at the forefront of debates in recent times and wants to take advantage of that time to strengthen the club's ties with Latin America and the Mediterranean, areas of the global south where, as a result of the war in Ukraine, it is intended to recover the lost ground to Russia or China.

But the objective of any government to face European responsibilities safe from national quarrels may be complicated in the case of Spain by the coincidence with the holding of legislative elections (a priori, in December 2023), which will lead the opposition to be on constant alert to any attempt by Sánchez to capitalize on European tasks for electoral purposes, as well as to the climate of political tension that reigns in Madrid and the well-known tendency of all political forces to take national problems to Brussels.

Beyond the internal disputes, all the analysts consulted have high expectations for this presidency and agree in highlighting the active role of Spain on the European scene under the leadership of Sánchez. "I can compare with the last governments of Mariano Rajoy and my impression is that the Sánchez government is much more pro-European than the previous ones," says François Roux, former Belgian ambassador to the EU, who cites his contributions to the debates on the merits of post-covid recovery or the energy crisis. The suspension of fiscal rules "has reduced the risk of tensions between governments and the Commission," adds Eric Maurice, delegate in Brussels of the Robert Schuman center, who believes that Brexit and the marginalization of Poland have increased the relative weight of Spain in the EU.

There are several national issues that could be under the scrutiny of Brussels in full presidency. The most obvious, the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary and the change in the system for electing judges, an agreement that the Popular Party now conditions not to touch the crime of sedition. The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, urged the Spanish political forces in September to "set an example" and resolve the matter before the start of the presidency. If the blockade is not overcome, the next report from the Commission on the rule of law will make this situation ugly for Spain a few days after taking command.

"It is important that the government resolve the issue as soon as possible," says Johannes Greubel, an analyst at the European Policy Center. "Failure to do so will result in a loss of credibility regarding the functioning of the judicial system in Spain and it is to be expected that Poland and Hungary will exploit this circumstance." However, he adds, the situation is less serious than in these countries, where "systemic problems" are observed. There "it is the governments that question the rule of law."

Tensions over the situation of Spanish in schools in Catalonia is another of the national conflicts that have reached Brussels. The complaints of the PP and Ciudadanos led Reynders to raise the need to comply with the judicial sentences to President Pere Aragonès during his meeting in October. In addition, the petitions committee of the European Parliament chaired by Dolors Montserrat (PP) has decided to send a mission to Catalonia to examine the situation "in the second half of 2023".

Depending on the meaning of several pending court rulings, the Spanish presidency of the EU could coincide with movements in the situation of Carles Puigdemont and the rest of the Catalan politicians installed in Belgium. Although the matter remains "a big bilateral problem between Spain and Belgium," Roux, a Belgian diplomat and analyst at the Egmont Institute, does not think the matter will interfere with the presidency. Maurice agrees with him: “The question of Catalonia has always been seen as an internal matter” and the Puigdemont situation “above all affects justice”.

In Brussels, what is worrying about the Spanish presidency is not its coincidence with national elections (it happened this year with France) but rather that the European ones will then be just around the corner. The success of the Spanish administration will be measured by its ability to carry out major European legislative projects.