Spanish boost for a closer Europe

Today more than ever, the European Union needs to be a value-based project, as well as geographical and political player with the ability to ensure the prosperity of its citizens, in an increasingly competitive world, writes José Manuel Albares.

José Manuel Albares is the foreign minister of Spain, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU until the end of the year.

“A closer Europe” is the motto of the Spanish EU Council Presidency. Closer to its citizens, and more committed in its quest for European solutions to its problems. We have focused our work with this in mind, and we continue working towards this goal during the six months of our presidency.

A presidency that it is marked by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, which have brought back war to the European continent. We stand united in our response to the consequences of war, defending the European Union as a project for the well-being of all Europeans.

To this end, the Spanish Presidency shall endeavour to reindustrialise the European Union, seeking a greater competitiveness of our companies and ensuring that the European industry consolidates its position at the forefront of major trends for technological change.

We Europeans must not be left behind in a race on which the achievement of a European economy capable of ensuring quality jobs is dependent upon.

Likewise, droughts and extreme weather conditions as those we are increasingly experiencing in Europe should remind us that climate change is not a question of ideology: it is in fact a reality with the potential to directly affect the prosperity and lifestyle of millions of people.

As a project for the future of all Europeans, the European Union must continue leading efforts to advance the ecological transition and the global fight against climate change, ensuring that its benefits reach all levels of society.

A decade of crisis has left profound breaches in society and inequalities that we have not yet bridged. For this reason, the Spanish presidency, true to its social DNA, will work towards greater social and economic justice within the European Union.

We wish to promote a social economy in which a fair distribution of wealth is guaranteed. We shall work towards fair tax governance regulations, which will enable us to combine budgetary balance with the ability to make the investments that Europeans are demanding of us.

And we will promote an inclusive Europe, where all Europeans have a place and where diversity and the fight against all forms of discrimination are safeguarded.

The only way to achieve this is through a united Europe, both internally and in defence of an international order based on rules where peace, stability and development are paramount, placing citizens at the centre of our external action

. Within this framework, providing Ukraine with continued and decisive support in the face of Russian aggression will be a fundamental priority of the Spanish presidency. We continue working on providing unwavering support to its territorial integrity and offering a viable and realistic European perspective.

Ukraine’s future lies in Europe. The prime minister’s visit to Kiev, on occasion of the first day of our Council presidency, is a demonstration of Spain’s commitment to Ukraine.

The European Union must, in the face of these global challenges, work alongside its worldwide friends and allies. Latin America and the Caribbean, a region with which we share values and a common vision of the world, shall be the first focus of these efforts.

The EU-CELAC Summit, the first in over eight years, has been a unique opportunity to relaunch our partnership.

This is the Europe that the Spanish Presidency of the European Union Council believes in.

We are aware of our responsibility, and we will live up to it, to ensure that this presidency is a presidency for all Europeans.