Outlook for the Spanish EU Presidency: Seeking to Strengthen Europe and Transatlantic Relations
Under the new Lisbon Treaty, which came into effect in December, the European Union now has three different “presidents”:
• The long-standing President of the European Commission (currently José Manuel Barroso, reelected to his second of two 5-year terms in September 2009);
• A new individual President of the European Council (recently-chosen Herman Van Rompuy), serving a 2½-year term; and
• A revised rotating Presidency of the Council of Ministers, with member states each serving 6-month terms.
Spain took over the rotating presidency in January, at a defining moment for the EU – with the historic Lisbon Treaty coming into force, the new permanent President of the European Council (Herman Van Rompuy) and High Representative (Catherine Ashton) taking office, and efforts continuing to help Europe escape its worst economic recession in decades. As the first presidency under the treaty, the relationship Spain develops with the new EU officials will set precedents for future rotating presidencies. The treaty also institutionalized the “Triple Presidency,” under which Spain will coordinate closely with the next two holders of the rotating presidency, Belgium and Hungary, to create unified and consistent leadership covering 1½ years.
Spain's Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has indicated that his country’s presidency will focus on four main concerns:
• Helping Europe emerge from the economic crisis by promoting balanced and sustainable growth that takes social and environmental interests into account;
• Bringing about rapid and complete application of the Lisbon Treaty;
• Encouraging greater citizen participation and security in the EU.
• Ensuring that Europe remains a player in the international arena by developing a global, responsible, and supportive foreign policy – in particular:
- strengthening the transatlantic relationship,
- increasing dialogue with Latin America, and
- supporting current and potential future member states.
Spain has also placed special emphasis on a renewed transatlantic architecture, calling for a new New Transatlantic Agenda.
Economic Recovery and Growth
Prime Minister Zapatero has promised to work towards “a new model of balanced and sustainable economic growth” for Europe. With the highest unemployment rate in the Euro zone (19.3% in October 2009, compared to 9.8% in the Euro zone), Spain is particularly sensitive to the need to promote job-creation.
Spain thus welcomes the Commission’s “EU 2020” strategy – to be presented at the European Summit in March – which aims to make Europe a “smarter, greener social market” in the next ten years. Spain will need to play a major role in helping the European Council reach an agreement on the economic plan during the summit.
Zapatero has said that Spain will also promote greater economic cooperation and the reinforcement of the common market and economic policies of EU member states. In particular, Spain aims to rebalance the asymmetry in the EU’s Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), which established a centralized monetary institution (the European Central Bank) but did not give the EU sufficient power to coordinate national economic policies. “If the European Union really wants to be a political union, which works for its citizens, it has to have a much more solid economic government…with tools,” Zapatero said. Spain will also work to develop regulatory institutions to supervise the international financial system, including the European Systemic Risk Board.
Implementing the Lisbon Treaty
The Lisbon Treaty’s actual impact on the role of the rotating presidencies and the other EU institutions is yet to be seen. Spain is therefore in a key position to help determine how the institutions will relate to one another under the treaty, especially in matters related to the agenda of the Council of Ministers and the EU’s external representation. Prime Minister Zapatero has promised that Spain will “lend its complete support” and work in full coordination with the new leadership created by the treaty – the permanent President of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Spain will work with them to set the agenda and draw up the conclusions of the European Council, to help run EU summits with third countries, and to implement the newly-created diplomatic corps, the European External Action Service.
Spain also aims to set precedents by developing the new tools created in the Lisbon Treaty that so far exist only in theory, including the “citizens’ initiative” (more on this below) Spain also plans to seek the consensus necessary to strengthen the Lisbon Treaty’s “solidarity clause,” which obligates member states to come to one another’s aid in case of a terrorist attack or other disaster.
Citizen Participation and Security
One of the Spanish presidency’s main aims is to bring the EU closer to its citizens, in particular by developing the European “citizens’ initiative” – an instrument that allows citizens to directly propose legislation to the European Commission if one million signatures are collected. In addition, Spain aims to continue the Stockholm Programme for freedom, security, and justice, which was launched at the European Council summit in December 2009, during the Swedish Presidency. Spain also plans to lead the fight against gender-based violence by pushing for the adoption of a non-discrimination directive, the establishment of a European monitoring center, and the creation of a European protection order. Moreover, Spain has proposed the creation of an “internal security committee” to facilitate the exchange of intelligence between EU members.
European Foreign Policy
The enactment of the Lisbon Treaty creates many opportunities for increasing the EU’s international stature, and Spain intends to support this goal. The rotating presidency has been formally stripped of its international role, with the President of the European Council and the High Representative officially representing the EU on the world stage. However, Spain has declared that it will strengthen and cooperate with those new leaders, helping to oversee EU summits with the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, Pakistan, Mexico, Latin American and the Caribbean, Morocco, and Egypt as well as the Union for the Mediterranean’s 2010 summit. Spain will also help High Representative Ashton develop the new European External Action Service created by the Lisbon Treaty.
Spain has been a main force in creating the EU’s Mediterranean dimension, through the 1995 Barcelona Process and its 2008 successor, the Union for the Mediterranean. Spain will focus on setting up the Union’s secretariat in Barcelona and selecting its first projects. A candidate for leader of the secretariat has already been chosen.
Another priority for Spain will be strengthening relations between Europe and Latin America, particularly since Spain has many economic interests in the region. Further enlargement of the EU will also continue to be high on the agenda. Spain will likely attempt to alleviate tensions between Macedonia and Greece, and within the Greek and Turkish sections of Cyprus. Spain also aims to intensify Croatia’s accession negotiations and advance talks on Turkish membership. In addition, The Spanish presidency will seek to renew a strategic agreement with Russia and to strengthen relations with the United States.
A new New Transatlantic Agenda?
It was fifteen years ago, during an earlier Spanish EU presidency, that the US and the EU signed the New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA), the most ambitious program for transatlantic cooperation to date. Spain has again declared that strengthening US-EU relations and updating the NTA will be a key priority of its EU presidency.
The NTA was developed in the immediate post-Cold War era, when the US was the world’s unchallenged superpower, the EU was very optimistic about its future, and both wanted to create a new basis for transatlantic cooperation following the demise of the Soviet threat. The NTA identified a number of opportunities for soft-power partnership and coordination, including supporting peace in the Balkans and the former USSR, promoting international trade liberalization, and deepening the transatlantic economic relationship.
In many ways, the world is now quite different. The US is still the superpower, but China, Russia, India, Brazil, and other states are now better able to pursue their own interests. In addition, the US and Europe face new global security challenges in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. With the Lisbon Treaty now in force, EU institutions are stronger and more streamlined, but the EU is still far from having a unified international role.
Nevertheless, the many undeniable benefits of increasing transatlantic cooperation might be reaped with a new NTA. Writing in European Voice, Peter S. Rashish asserts that “neither the US nor the EU needs another laundry list outlining all the potential areas for transatlantic cooperation.” Instead, he suggests a “concise, focused work programme setting out overarching priorities…where each thinks it needs the other for success, along with a timetable and road-map for arriving at joint positions.” This slimmed-down agenda would demonstrate to the world that the US and the EU can think strategically about their relationship in a complex global context, while contributing meaningfully to global stability and progress.
For more information and analysis on the outlook for the Spanish Presidency, see the following resources.
Resources on the Spanish Presidency:
The Gain With Spain – Peter S. Rashish, in European Voice – on the new New Transatlantic Agenda
Zapatero presents the priorities of the Spanish Presidency in the USA – Presidencia Espanola
Official Program of the Spanish Presidency
Brochure of the Spanish Presidency
EU 2020 – European Commission
Zapatero Outlines Goals for the Spanish EU Presidency – eGov Monitor
The Spanish EU Presidency – EurActiv
Spain, Belgium, Hungary Set EU Presidency Priorities – EurActiv
A Project for Europe: A collection of proposals deemed to be priorities for Spain’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU – Barcelona Institute for International Studies
Spanish Presidency of the European Union 2010: Priorities for Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy – Joaquin Nieto and Domingo Jimenez, Fundacion Alternativas (English translation pages 25-42 of the PDF, "Version completa del documento")
Spanish EU Presidency Outlines Green Priorities – World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Spanish Presidency Will Create Precedents – EurActiv
Spanish EU Presidency to Push for Turkish Membership – Tehran Times
Spanish EU Presidency to Focus on Economic Recovery – Deutsche Welle World
Spainsh EU Presidency Focuses on Cuba, the Economy – EU Business
Social Lobby Pins Hopes on Spain’s EU Presidency – EurActiv
Spain’s EU Presidency Greeted with Skepticism – World Politics Review
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