The Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union is already underway. The engines are already roaring and the Executive exhibits staging. The visit of the College of European Commissioners, a delegation headed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, took place in the Gallery of Royal Collections. A presidency, the Spanish one, which begins impregnated and conditioned by the holding of general elections on July 23. Faced with a possible change of government, a scenario that several surveys contemplate today, the head of the community Executive has downplayed the consequences that a change of tenant in La Moncloa could have on the Spanish presidency.

Expressly asked about this, after the meetings that the community and Spanish executives have held, she has transferred normality to the scenario of change: “Regardless of the result of the elections, I trust that the Spanish government and the institutions are capable of having an effective presidency and I trust in the European spirit of Spain”.

For his part, Pedro Sánchez, although he is fully involved in the electoral battle, has wanted to impregnate the holding of the elections in the midst of the current Spanish presidency of the EU with “absolute normality”. “This is not the first time that elections have been held during a country’s presidency. Fortunately, Spain has been integrated into the EU for some time and has accumulated experience in the preparation of rotating EU presidencies, which is going to make all these dossiers move forward and can be closed during our presidency, which is going to be good for the whole of the EU”.

The President of the Government has taken the opportunity to recall the four axes on which he wants to base his European presidency -at least for as long as he is there-: support for Ukraine, ecological transition, fiscal justice and open strategic autonomy. “The Government and the people of Spain are going to fulfill their duty. We are going to act as an impartial intermediary facilitating agreements, coordinating debates, promoting open files with the aim of closing as many agreements as possible before the end of December.”

The entire Government in full has received Von der Leyen and the 17 commissioners who have traveled to Madrid. Another 10 have not been able to do so due to scheduling reasons, since this meeting was scheduled for the end of the week, but it had to be brought forward so that it did not coincide with the start of the electoral campaign. And it is that the day, in addition to a bilateral meeting between the president of the Commission and Sánchez, has included a plenary meeting of the Government of Spain and the College of Commissioners.

Along with the holding of elections in Spain, another issue that has flown over the sunny morning in Madrid is the rise of far-right formations in Europe, in Spain with the focus on Vox. Sánchez, to avoid a reproach from the Central Electoral Board, has avoided the matter, has preferred not to answer and has summoned journalists to other forums.

But Von der Leyen did want to present his vision and reflection on the rise of these formations in different European countries. “When we talk about left and right extremism, which is coming back, they fear change,” he stated without referring to any specific party or country. “We, the democratic groups in the center, have to show that we have very clear ideas when it comes to facing the change that is taking place.”

The head of the community Executive wanted to give a concrete example, a fact that, in general, these extremist formations tend to deny: climate change. “It is a fact. We have a vision of how to approach it and how to face the difficulties and how to take advantage of the opportunities that new technologies and innovation offer us. We want growth and prosperity while protecting nature and the environment.”

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