Spanish EU Council Presidency Guide Over To You Spain: Make or Break Time
By Jaime Olmos, CEO, Harmon Corporate Affairs
Key insights to understand the Presidency
A heated kickoff
The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union kicks off with a heated domestic environment for the government lead by Pedro Sánchez. In the months leading up to the Presidency, everything seemed to be on the right track for the socialist-led coalition government, as it managed to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, lower unemployment rates, and take effective measures, such as the gas price cap example, to help Spaniards overcome the inflation crisis. These favorable winds helped the government prioritise their international and European commitments, with much emphasis placed on raising the international profile of the President.
Despite these successes, the government experienced a major setback in the May 28th local and regional elections which were more negative than expected, triggering a call for snap elections on July 23rd. It remains to be seen how this political climate will affect the Spanish government’s ability to push – as a “honest broker”- the Presidency’s priorities, which include the reform of fiscal rules, digital transformation, the reform of the energy market and relations between the EU and Latin America.
Click to download to the full report: Harmon Associates Spanish Presidency 4 July 2024