Alongside with the national elections, the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU will be assumed by Spain for the following months. There is still the uncertainty that Spanish politics would take a dramatic turn, and this becoming the first case in Spanish history that both national and European elections are threatened by a power shift. However, the current president, Pedro Sánchez, has already proposed the priorities that Spain will follow. This involves a reindustrialisation of Europe, including boosting renewable energies, promoting the single market, and integration throughout the Union; remarking the important social aspect achieving tolerance and inclusion.
Meanwhile, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, the leader of the opposition, claims that it should not be acceptable that both elections take place at the same time, so that it does not become a campaign object. However, the rise of the right-wing parties – some in coalition with the far-right party, Vox– in the autonomous elections in Spain have set off the alarms for the decline of the Socialist party.
Not only that, there is the need to add another problem that most Spanish citizens do not remotely contemplate the role we have in the Union and the local aspect also affects the global. That is why the importance that the UE has does not only concern the institution itself, but in the end are the Member States who shape it. The EU should not make room for extremist leaders, because it gives them the opportunity to boost their agendas that would collide with the European values and responsibilities that some could not hold.
Taking advantage of the fact that president Sánchez has brought forward the elections, we should give space to the leaders that match with the standards of the Union and can strength the relations between Spain and other European countries; as is the case with Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron or even Ursula Von der Leyen. It is crucial that both the President of the Government and the President of the Council of the EU raise the ongoing problems, such as the Gibraltar negotiation, the politics of security and defense from the war in Ukraine and the management of the NextGeneration funds.
The Spanish right-wing parties only focus on national politics, without taking into account the repercussions this will have for Europe. Their political and sociological profile is not up to the task, and what will do is delay Europe’s progress towards a union in keeping with the times. It is not only their duty to incorporate the European aspect on the agenda, but also our duty to prevent these parties from getting into the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Patricia Campo Abastas
References
Spanish Presidency Council of the EU (2023a, June 15). The President of the Government presents the priorities of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU. Retrieved from:
Real Instituto Elcano (2023a, December 23). España en el mundo 2023: perspectivas y desafíos de política europea. Retrieved from:
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
