The appointment with the polls on July 23 also takes Brussels by surprise and may blur the line drawn for the Spanish presidency of the EU. The alarms are ringing in a key semester that diplomats call the “golden presidency.” We are facing the last complete presidency before the end of the legislature and the renewal of the community leadership: the last opportunity for Úrsula von der Leyen to finish off her mandate and give way to many legislative packages that are still open.
Spain takes the reins of the Presidency of the Council of the EU in a complicated scenario: uncertainty and political and economic tensions, the deterioration of democracy and global reverberations of the conflict in Ukraine that have triggered an energy crisis, skyrocketing inflation and have aggravated a food crisis that shows a broken food system (extractive, poorly regulated and largely in the hands of large agribusiness).
In less than a month, the Spanish Government will lead the course of the EU, promoting the necessary political agreements to implement truly transformative agendas, both within the EU and in its strategic association relationship with the rest of the world. From Moncloa they repeat that “the presidency is going to remain as such and with all its activities.” And yet, the implications and repercussions of this coincidence will be impossible to avoid. But we European citizens have too much at stake to allow this to happen. The last few years leave no room for doubt: in the face of skyrocketing inequalities, skyrocketing numbers of hunger, or the ravages of the climate crisis throughout the world, we need to change the course and rewrite our future. Europe has to be in the lead. We need to build a European Union that cares for people and the planet. It’s that simple, that compelling.
We want a Europe that cares and protects. The last 3 years of polycrisis show us the importance of having robust social protection systems that serve ever larger sectors of the population. But they also show that we need to go further. It is not enough to have mechanisms to cushion the blow. We need to ensure universal social protection measures. We need to act on the causes, combat job insecurity and guarantee decent wages in all member states. We need to embed the right to care as a guiding policy principle. And for this to be possible, we need a Europe built on fairer tax systems, which tax those who have more more and leave no room for tax havens.
Because collecting more and collecting better from those who have benefited from the different crises is vital to be able to invest better in the sustainability of social policies and fight against inequality. We want a greener, more sustainable and socially responsible Europe. We cannot continue postponing the decarbonization of societies and the transition to renewable energy. A process that implies promoting a real change in our productive matrix and the elimination of subsidies for fossil fuels.
A transition that has to be fair, ensuring that the costs are covered for the most vulnerable groups within the borders of the EU and also accompanying the countries of the Global South in accessing clean energy and repairing and compensating communities, in instead of doing it at your expense. And in this ambition towards a green and socially responsible Europe, companies are a key link. Many companies have verbalized commitments, but we need to underpin the change, approving a European directive on due diligence for companies that is demanding and effective in defending human and environmental rights inside and outside the EU. Now the final negotiation is open and Spain must lead for the sake of an ambitious directive.
And last but not least, we want a Europe that is less self-centred. At a time of great international upheaval and an increasing instrumentalization of migration for political purposes, the period of the presidency is an opportunity for Spain to lead the negotiations of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, ensuring respect for basic rights of all people on the move, without discrimination; welcoming in conditions of safety and dignity and ensuring a fair asylum procedure.
And in this vocation of a Europe that is not self-absorbed and that wants to play a role in world geopolitics, Europe must rethink its relationship with the Sahel subregion. It is time to learn from the mistakes of a relationship excessively focused on security and migration management in the region. And make the leap to a relationship focused on reversing the causes of the current crisis in the area, focusing on the food crisis, protecting the space for civil society, building peace and social cohesion.
Stop responding to the symptoms of the crisis and address the sources that fuel this escalation of violence and forced displacement. The floor is moved, but there are already dates marked on the calendar. And one marked in red is that of July 17, just 5 days before the elections, at which time the summit of the EU and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) will take place.
A unique opportunity to place fair transitions (green, digital and socioeconomic), the protection of civic space and the care economy at the center of this new bi-regional cooperation agenda, avoiding remaining on an economic agenda and commercial interests under the umbrella of the Global Gateway initiative.
We are entering a period of much noise, crossfire and uncertainty. Hopefully none of this means wasting the opportunity that Spain has to make a difference.
