"Europe has everything it needs to be the most prosperous regions on the planet"

USPA NEWS - The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, spoke this Wednesday in the European Parliament to report on the achievements achieved during the six-month period in which Spain has held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Pedro Sanchez addressed the important progress made in legislative and political matters, recalling that during the last six months 43 highly relevant files have been approved, a number higher than the usual average. The President of the Spanish Government highlighted the four priorities that Spain outlined in its roadmap at the beginning of the Spanish Presidency: promoting the reindustrialization of Europe and its open strategic autonomy; advance the ecological transition and environmental adaptation; achieve greater social and economic justice; and strengthen European unity. Regarding the reindustrialization of Europe, the President of the Spanish Government stressed the need to strengthen European domestic production capacities and guarantee the competitiveness of those sectors in which it is already leading. "We must promote new industries of the future that generate quality jobs and wealth for our citizens, and we have to do it with more innovation, more training, more industrial policy, and more integration of the Single Market," he explained.

Furthermore, he highlighted that Europe must launch a new commercial expansion aimed at consolidating, diversifying and expanding its ties abroad, as well as leading the modernization of the multilateral architecture, increasing development aid and its commitment to the well-being of other countries in the South Global. In this context, President Sanchez recalled the approval, under the Spanish Presidency, of pioneering laws to guarantee the supply of critical raw materials and promote, at the same time, Europe's leadership in green and digital technologies, mentioning a pioneering law to promote the development and adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Europe. He also highlighted the important agreement on fishing reached on Tuesday which guarantees the future and prosperity of thousands of families in Europe and Spain.

"We have approved the creation of new economic security instruments that will protect us from coercion by third countries and that will guarantee the free movement of goods, services and people in times of crisis within the Single Market," said Pedro Sanchez, also addressing the push that during the Spanish Presidency has been given to the Union's external agenda, with the celebration, for example, of a historic Summit between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean. He also highlighted the substantial progress in the agreement with Mercosur, as well as the signing of new trade agreements with Chile, New Zealand, and the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.

Regarding the second priority of the Spanish Presidency, the ecological transition and environmental adaptation, Pedro Sanchez defended that stopping climate change and environmental degradation is, in addition to a question of survival, an opportunity. "The ecological transition will help us be more prosperous and competitive, it will allow us to create new industries, grow by an additional point of GDP each year, and generate more than a million new jobs in this decade," explained the President of the Spanish Government. Likewise, he highlighted that the ecological transition will also be very useful to drastically reduce dependence on energy and raw materials from abroad, while lowering household electricity bills and making companies more competitive.

In this context, Pedro Sanchez reiterated that the green agenda is not an obstacle to European competitiveness but rather its greatest hope, and recalled that during the last semester several pioneering regulations have been approved that will help to better reuse waste and have more durable products. repairable and recyclable. In addition, he highlighted the approval of the Nature Restoration Law to recover all degraded ecosystems in Europe by mid-century.

Spain also set a priority during its Presidency to achieve greater social and economic justice, and President Sanchez recalled this Wednesday that very important steps have been taken in this direction, such as the celebration of the Tripartite Social Summit, or the progress in the reform historic transformation of the electricity market, which is about to end and will make electricity prices lower and more stable and will insert greater transparency into the system. Furthermore, he highlighted notable progress in the Social Pillar recently achieved, such as the launch of the Disability Card and the development of new directives to combat violence against women and human trafficking.

Finally, in reference to European unity, the President of the Spanish Government regretted that Europe has been subjected to tensions that sought division within the Union, celebrating that, far from achieving it, these difficulties have strengthened the Twenty-Seven. He addressed, for example, the progress in the Migration and Asylum Pact, the parliamentary agreement on the reform of the Treaties or the substantial progress in terms of enlargement, recalling the relevance that the Granada Summit had for the latter. "We must highlight the consolidation of the European Political Community, which brought together more than 40 European heads of State and Government in Granada," he assured.

Next, President Sánchez referred to the situation in Ukraine, recalling that Spain began the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council in Kyiv, and that the Twenty-Seven have shown clarity and unity in the face of Putin's illegal invasion. In this sense, he reiterated that this unity was key to saving lives and that, today more than ever, it is essential to act in the same way in the face of what is happening in Israel and Palestine. "We must condemn the repugnant murders and kidnappings carried out by Hamas, support the fight against terrorism throughout the Middle East and recognize Israel's right to defend itself and exist," he said, stressing that, with the same conviction, it is imperative to "say enough to the death of innocent civilians in Gaza, including thousands of children. In this sense, Pedro Sanchez assured that Europe must demand compliance with international law and humanitarian law and actively contribute to the search for a definitive and comprehensive solution. To achieve this, the President of the Spanish Government reiterated, it is necessary to recognize the existence of the Palestinian State, which coexists in peace and security alongside the State of Israel.

Finally, President Sanchez reflected on the future of the European project, pointing out that Europe has everything it needs to continue being one of the most prosperous and socially advanced regions on the planet. "We represent half of the global investment in well-being, we are the largest commercial agent in the world, the first recipient of foreign direct investment, and the second best innovation ecosystem," he stressed, defending that Europe today has companies and talent necessary human. "We must be aware of our potential," he added, concluding that it is time to look to the future with ambition and optimism to lead a new era of global prosperity.