In a significant declaration of intentions, Pedro Sánchez wanted to begin the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, on July 1, precisely in Kyiv together with the president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelensky, before whom he promised to promote the process. for integration into the community club in response to Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion. And, thanks to an unexpected coincidence, the semester of the Spanish presidency culminates with the approval of the “historic agreement”, reached at the last meeting of the year of the European Council held in Brussels, to open negotiations for the accession of Ukraine, and also Moldova, to the EU.
“It is an honor that this opening of negotiations with Ukraine is approved under the Spanish presidency,” Sánchez celebrated yesterday, in the appearance he starred in alongside the presidents of the Council and the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, respectively, who They highlighted the achievements of the Spanish mandate. “What you have achieved is impressive,” Michel congratulated him. And Von der Leyen described this Spanish presidency as “excellent”, during which more than fifty political agreements were signed.
Asked if the internal political situation in Spain and the scuffle with the European People's Party over the amnesty law have tarnished the presidency or the leadership of Spain, as Manfred Weber suggested, Michel recalled that the European project is based on respect for the sovereignty of the member states and trust between their institutions. “The judgments of intentions seem regrettable to me,” he concluded. Von der Leyen, for her part, asked about the suggestion of her party, the EPP, that the situation in Spain is as serious as in Hungary or Poland, put herself in profile and limited herself to remembering that the Commission is “the guardian of the treaties” and reiterate the principle of “trust” in the member states. Sánchez responded by quoting a phrase from Donald Tusk, the new Polish Prime Minister, also a member of the EPP: “The problem with flirting with the extreme right is that you end up thinking like them.”
Taking stock of the semester, Sánchez thanked Michel and Von der Leyen for their praiseworthy words, and described this current presidency of the EU Council, the fifth that Spain has assumed, as “very satisfactory.” “We have achieved very relevant files, both quantitatively and qualitatively,” he congratulated himself. And he highlighted the reform of the electricity market as one of the “most important milestones” of the semester, along with other approved initiatives, such as the laws on Critical Raw Materials, Artificial Intelligence or Nature Restoration.
In his assessment of the semester, Sánchez highlighted two major events: the July summit between the EU and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Brussels – the agreement with Mercosur could not be concluded, but it was with Chile –, in addition to the meeting of the informal Council and the meeting of the European Political Community that took place in Granada, in October, where the foundations of the new European strategic agenda were laid.
The “tweaking” to update the multi-annual financial framework of the community club, another of the relevant folders for the semester, was a mere breath away, with the consensus of up to 26 of the member states, but in the absence of the incorporation of the Hungary by Viktor Orbán. A budgetary hot potato that will already have to be assumed by Belgium, which on January 1 will take over from Spain at the helm of the EU Council.
Sánchez also closes the semester with the open crisis in the Middle East, due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with no prospects yet of being able to hold the peace conference that he wanted to promote during his tour of the region with the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, in search of a political solution with the recognition of the Palestinian State. “The Council has to reflect and have a much more strategic vision about the southern neighborhood,” Sánchez claimed, for stability in the Mediterranean.
The Spanish semester is about to expire, but Sánchez highlighted yesterday that he still hopes to unblock the complex migration and asylum pact, another of his great priorities, before the end of the year. And he also opted to achieve agreement on economic governance. “It is very important that we start next year with new fiscal rules,” he urged. And he also hoped to achieve the integration of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area.
“We are going to work until the last moment of the presidency,” the Spanish president promised. And there are still two weeks left.
