Brussels, 15 December 2023
The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has discussed the main achievements of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU at the end of the European Council, which took place in Brussels on 14 and 15 December and was marked by the agreement reached for the enlargement of the EU.
At a press conference, the prime minister assured that during the six months of the Spanish presidency, “very important dossiers” have been approved, both qualitatively and quantitatively in terms of their impact on society.
During this period, more than 190 trialogues have been held with the European Parliament, and more than 40 legislative dossiers have been adopted. A few days before the end of the Spanish presidency, President Sánchez has underlined his commitment to complete several dossiers before 31 December. “We are going to work until the last moment of the presidency,” he assured.
Main achievements of the Spanish Presidency
During his appearance, the president emphasised the importance of the agreement to reform the electricity market, one of the “most important milestones” of the last six months, which was the result of a “very intense debate” between the European countries..
“Let us not forget that since the beginning of Putin’s war in Ukraine, or even before, we were already beginning to see and suffer in terms of the pockets of households, industries and businesses in Europe the consequences of rising energy prices,” he said.
Among the most noteworthy agreements of the presidency, Sánchez highlighted those relating to the Law on the Restoration of Nature, the Law on Critical Raw Materials and the Law on Artificial Intelligence, regulations that are in line with Spain’s priorities at the head of the Council.
The chief executive also recalled the “important summit” held between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States last July in Brussels, an event that served to close a series of strategic investments in Latin America and to “strengthen this strategic relationship between the two blocs”.
This summit enabled progress to be made on trade agreements, such as the one being negotiated between the EU and Mercosur, and to finalise others, such as the agreement between the EU and Chile, a pact that “reaffirms” this trade relationship, Sánchez stressed.
Other events that marked the Spanish presidency were the third meeting of the European Political Community and the informal European Council, both held in Granada, where “the whole debate on the EU’s strategic agenda began, which will continue under the Belgian presidency”.
Accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova
At the beginning of his speech, Sánchez described as “historic” the agreement reached by EU leaders on the first day of the European Council to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
It is an honour for Spain that the opening of Ukraine’s accession negotiations has taken place under our presidency
Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government of Spain
Accession was one of the most important issues to be discussed at the Council, together with the debate on the Middle East and the review of the multiannual financial framework.
Regarding financing, President Sánchez said that over the last six months “very difficult, very complex work” has been carried out, which has finally culminated in an agreement by 26 EU member states.
“I am convinced that, under the Belgian presidency, in the next six months we will be able to count on the good work of the Prime Minister to achieve this agreement with 27,” he said.
The Presidency’s next objectives
Sánchez mentioned the main objectives of the Spanish presidency for the coming weeks, including the approval of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the extension of the Schengen Area to Romania and Bulgaria, and the review of the economic governance framework, a matter that will be dealt with at the next meeting of economy and finance ministers.
“I think it is very important that we start next year with new fiscal rules, with new economic governance, and this is what the Government of Spain is going to do,” he said.
Political agreements
At the press conference following the last European Council of the year, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, described the performance of the Spanish presidency as “impressive”, despite the fact that there are still “a number of difficult issues to deal with”.
“You can count on our support, of course, so thank you very much for the excellent cooperation and for the success of this presidency,” Michel underlined.
For her part, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, praised the work of the Spanish presidency and stressed that during these six months more than 50 political agreements have been approved by the Council of the EU.
“I would like to thank the Spanish team, who have worked tirelessly on this excellent Spanish presidency over the last six months. Thanks to their dedication and commitment, I believe we have managed to get a significant number of essential dossiers to the finish line,” she said.
Source – Spanish EU Presidency