The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, defended this Sunday that the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union has been “a success” with “historic agreements.” In a statement, he argued that today’s EU is “stronger, fairer and more cohesive.”
Sánchez has highlighted that some seventy European files have been closed, “a figure much higher than the average of other presidencies” and he has been “especially satisfied” with the agreement for the reform of the electricity market.
During the Spanish presidency, the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova have been opened, and the Nature Restoration regulation or the first European law to regulate Artificial Intelligence has been agreed. During the month of December, the Spanish presidency also managed to agree with the European Parliament on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which had been under negotiation for eight years.
All of these agreements have also earned congratulations from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who has recognized their “hard” work to achieve some “key projects.” “Thank you and congratulations on a successful presidency. Her hard work and dedication have gotten some key projects over the finish line,” Von der Leyen highlighted in a message on her X profile, before her Twitter she.
This same Saturday, an agreement was announced to eliminate air and sea controls on the internal borders with Bulgaria and Romania, which thus partially enter the Schengen area, pending negotiations on the lifting of land controls in the future.
At an economic level, during the Spanish presidency the agreement was also closed to review the fiscal rules, which regulate the deficit and debt requirements of the Member States to have sustainable public finances. Likewise, the directive on the rights of platform workers has been negotiated.
Sánchez has also highlighted that under his presidency the debate has begun on the reforms that will have to be carried out in the European Union to take on enlargements in the future. “Spain has hosted 23 informal ministerial meetings, which have been organized throughout Spanish territory,” Sánchez recalled. Barcelona, ??for example, hosted an informal meeting of transport ministers.
In his statement, Sánchez did not make any reference to the official status of Catalan in the European Union. This issue remains stuck in the Council.
The Spanish president thanked the team of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU for their work and wished them luck in Belgium, which assumes the role from January 1.
