In a significant declaration of intent, Pedro Sánchez wanted to start the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on July 1, precisely in Kyiv with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he committed to push the process for its integration into the community club in response to Vladimir Putin’s Russian invasion. And, thanks to an unexpected coincidence, the semester of the Spanish presidency culminates with the approval of the “historic agreement”, agreed at the last meeting of the year of the European Council held in Brussels, to open negotiations for the accession of Ukraine, and also of Moldova, to the EU.

“It is an honor that this opening of negotiations with Ukraine under the Spanish presidency has been approved”, Sánchez celebrated yesterday, in the appearance he starred in together with the presidents of the Council and the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, that highlighted the successes of the Spanish mandate. “What you have achieved is impressive”, Michel congratulated him. And Von der Leyen described this Spanish presidency as “excellent”, during which more than fifty political agreements were signed.

On whether the internal political situation in Spain and the quarrel with the European People’s Party in relation to the amnesty have tarnished the presidency or the leadership of Spain, as Manfred Weber said, Michel recalled that the European project is based on respect for the sovereignty of member states and trust between institutions. “The judgments of intentions seem unfortunate to me”, he concluded. Von der Leyen, when asked about the suggestion of his party, the EPP, that the situation in Spain is as serious as in Hungary or Poland, tiptoed around and simply reminded that the Commission is “the guardian of the treaties ” and reiterate the principle of “trust” in the member states. Sánchez responded by quoting a phrase from Donald Tusk, the new Polish Prime Minister, also a member of the EPP: “The problem with flirting with the far right is that you end up thinking like them.”

When taking stock of the semester, Sánchez thanked the laudatory words of Michel and Von der Leyen, and called this presidency of the Council of the EU, Spain’s fifth, “very satisfactory”. “We have obtained files, quantitatively and qualitatively very relevant”, he said. And he highlighted the reform of the electricity market as one of the “most important milestones” of the semester, along with others such as the laws on Critical Primary Materials, Artificial Intelligence or Nature Restoration.

In his assessment of the semester, Sánchez highlighted two major events: the July summit between the EU and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Brussels – the agreement with Mercosur could not be closed, and yes with Chile–, in addition to the meeting of the informal Council and the meeting of the European Political Community that took place in Granada, in October, in which the foundations of the new European strategic agenda were laid.

The juggling act to update the multiannual financial framework of the community club, another of the relevant folders for the semester, remained one step away, with the consensus of 26 member states, but without the inclusion of Viktor Orbán’s Hungary . A hot budget issue that will have to be taken on by Belgium, which on January 1 will take over from Spain in the command of the Council of the EU.

Sánchez also closes the semester with the open crisis in the Middle East, due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, still without prospects of being able to hold the peace conference that he wanted to promote during his tour of the region with the first Belgian minister, Alexander de Croo, in search of a political solution with the recognition of the Palestinian state. “The Council must reflect and have a much more strategic vision on the southern neighborhood”, claimed Sánchez, for stability in the Mediterranean.

The Spanish semester is about to expire, but Sánchez stressed that he still hopes to unblock the complex migration and asylum pact, another of his big priorities, before the end of the year. And he advocated for the agreement on economic governance. “It is very important that we start the year with new tax rules”, he said. And he also trusted to achieve the integration of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen area.

“We will work until the last moment of the presidency”, promised the Spanish president. And there are still two weeks left.