Nine months before the next European Parliament elections on 6 - 9 June, President Ursula von der Leyen outlines her Commission’s priorities from now until the end of its mandate. She focuses on a stronger and more resilient European Union, on the EU’s continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, on energy security and EU energy independence, the EU’s twin green and digital transitions, and on protecting core EU values. TBC gives a statement as the representative of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU.Statement by José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, representing the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

Spanish Presidency of the EU (T)

ALBARES, José Manuel (ES)

state of the European Union 2023 (T)

State of the European Union 2023: statement by José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, representing the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/72167319/1694597200160_I244632Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Madam President, President of the commission, von der Leyen, Honourable Members of the European Parliament. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm appearing today on behalf of the Council in the House of European Democracy. The European Parliament will view the reflection of Europe's diversity and plurality and are also the Union's most direct contact with its citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would like to start by thanking President von der Leyen, thank you for your speech and your leadership throughout this legislature. It has been a challenging few years in Europe with the pandemic and now with Russia's aggression against Ukraine, but the Union has been able to rise to them. President, thanks to you. Thanks also to the Commission and thanks, of course, to this Parliament and the members of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, This is a decisive time for European unity and the conflict in Ukraine has made the need for European values very clear. On the first day of the Spanish presidency, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, sent a clear message to the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev. We are and will be standing with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, A few weeks ago, we strengthened our joint commitment to help and promote peace in Ukraine. At our meeting in Toledo, at the same time, we were at a decisive moment in the European calendar. The Spanish presidency is the last full presidency before the European elections and the next European legislative cycle.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, We will have to negotiate a large number of dossiers which are key to European integration and which represent significant progress in social, environmental and economic terms because they have a positive impact on the well-being of our fellow citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, It is essential that relations between the institutions should continue to be as fluid as possible. Those relations between Parliament and the Commission are vital to the Council and the Presidency being successful aware of this. The Spanish Presidency has begun with the utmost determination, demonstrating the deep pro-European vocation which drives the Spanish government.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, The first month of the Presidency, we had 17 trialogues. The pace will increase even more in the coming months. President, you can count on the full dedication of this Presidency to move the European project forward with ambition.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Madam President, I am pleased to note the main elements which you have highlighted here today are in line with the priorities of the Spanish Presidency. The first is green re-industrialisation and open strategic autonomy. It's not about building fortress Europe. International openness has been and is highly beneficial for the European Union. However, this openness has on occasion given rise to an excessive dependence in sectors which are key to the well-being of our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, We've seen this in health during the COVID 19 pandemic, which brought so much suffering in the form of unbearable human losses. We saw this in energy following russia's unjustified and lawless invasion of Ukraine. In both cases, we faced these great challenges with more union because together we are stronger.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, That is why in the Spanish Presidency we are grateful for the responses led by the European Commission, which are essential to face all these challenges. We also welcome the 2023 Strategic Foresight Report with a vision of the future, we can continue to work together to build more Europe. We will dedicate one of the major events of the Presidency to this objective, the Granada Summit, forthcoming on the 6th of October.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, To achieve this, we must diversify and strengthen ties with our most reliable partners. In this regard, I would like to thank President von der Leyen and this Parliament for your involvement with the Latin American and Caribbean region. The EU-CELAC Summit was a collective success, which we hope will be long lasting and bring long term benefits to all Europeans.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, The second priority is to make progress on the green transition and environmental adaptation The climate crisis and environmental degradation is not only an unavoidable necessity, but also a great opportunity to drastically reduce our energy dependence and electricity bill. Making European companies more competitive and eliminating energy poverty among our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, It is also an opportunity to create quality jobs by boosting the circular economy. The reform of the design of the electricity market, the gas and hydrogen package, the regulations on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and the Net-Zero Industry Act are part of the Spanish Presidency's core dossiers.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thirdly, we need to promote greater social and economic justice. We need a more competitive economy. Without a doubt, but we also need a fairer and more caring economy. And there's no contradiction between these objectives. They're perfectly compatible. Among the major dossiers in this bloc are the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, as well as reforms of the rules of economic governance, both are of a structural nature for the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Naturally, the Spanish Presidency of the Council will promote and support the efforts of the Commission and the Parliament to achieve a more inclusive union. In that respect, we'll make progress on the initiatives and objectives set out in the Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as on the adoption of measures in favour of equal treatment between people and their inclusion, paying special attention to gender equality and combating violence against women, as well as children's and disability issues.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, In that respect, we welcome the proposal for the Disability Card Directive, which was presented by the Commission on the 5th of September, responding to the 87 million Europeans with disabilities to ensure that Europe is just one space for them too. Finally, the fourth priority is to strengthen European unity. Unity is the element that makes everything else possible. Unity is the engine that allows us to move forward in a context of heightened geopolitical tensions, the EU must remain united.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, And Member States must continue developing tools that will allow us to face together the great challenges of our time. It is crucial that we continue to support Ukraine under the principles of unity and solidarity. It is also essential to offer a real perspective to our partners in the Western Balkans.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, In the vision of a wider European Union, we must advocate for an optimisation of decision making processes. We must be able to agree to on a more efficient and coordinated management of migration and asylum procedures. Humane, orderly, caring and responsible management of migration flows. We cannot let hundreds of thousands of people meet their end in the Mediterranean.We cannot neglect our borders either.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Madam President, Honourable Members, the Spanish Presidency is firmly convinced that the future and well-being of all Europeans can only come about through a more united, stronger, more social, more sustainable union that is closer to its citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), José Manuel ALBARES BUENO, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, You can count on our full commitment to continue making the Union a project for the future, in which we are all included, women and men, in which all Europeans can see their own faces reflected and no one is left behind. The Spanish Presidency, in a nutshell, wants to continue applying European values for the benefit of the people of Europe. Thank you very much for your speech. Madam President, let us continue working together to achieve progress for Europe.