The Government of Spain approves the External Action Strategy 2025-2028

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, together with the Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, at the press conference (Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez)

The Council of Ministers has approved the External Action Strategy 2025-2028, which was presented last April by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares.

During his appearance following today's meeting of the Executive, the minister reiterated that the document is a true road map for the next four years when a "global, coherent foreign policy with its own identity" will be needed to face the transformations that are taking place on the international stage.

José Manuel Albares recalled that the strategy is based on three pillars. It places the construction of a more autonomous and sovereign Europe at the centre of external action; it envisages a Spain that is more committed to European values, multilateralism and human rights, and it is committed to a Spain that builds peace and security.

In the minister's opinion, the strategy is a fundamental instrument for defending Spain's values and establishing the country's interests, and its ultimate objective is to guarantee the life projects of Spaniards in the face of any threat.

International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, during the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

The Government has authorised the signing and provisional application of the agreement between Spain and the UN to organise the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Seville from 30 June to 3 July.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed that the conference will be "the great diplomatic event in Spain this year, like the presidency of the Council of the EU and the NATO summit", and represents the translation into practice of Spain's commitment to effective multilateralism and to the UN.

"It reflects Spain's profile as a country in which the UN and other countries trust to build bridges, bring consensus and forge common positions on global issues," he added.

Increased consular activity

Likewise in the area of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers discussed the balance of consular activity in 2024, focusing on the needs of the 3.1 million Spaniards living abroad, and those who for various reasons travel abroad.

José Manuel Albares pointed out that the number of Spaniards living in other countries has doubled in the last 15 years, almost 60% of them living in America and 37% in Europe. The Minister for Foreign Affairs also encouraged any Spaniard travelling abroad to register in the Travellers' Register. A total of 167,000 people did so in 2024, 17% more than the previous year.

There are 178 consular offices around the world to respond to their needs. In the words of the minister, they are "almost the one-stop shop for all Spaniards living abroad". In 2024, 200,000 registrations, 402,000 passports and almost 1.8 million visas were processed at consular civil registries.

According to Albares, the importance of this activity is reflected in the 8,600 consular emergency situations faced by the ministry and its diplomatic network in 2024, as well as in the 190,000 emergency calls received by the Consular Emergency Unit and the various consulates, 19% more than in 2023.

Digitalisation and the right to Spanish nationality

The minister pointed to two developments that are transforming consular work: the digitalisation project and the Law on Democratic Memory.

The consular digitalisation project, with a budget of €115 million, will allow the creation of a new electronic headquarters, a consular folder and a unified processing and management desktop before the end of this year. "It's going to be a real revolution in the way Spaniards relate to the consulate," Albares said.

With regard to the Law of Democratic Memory, the minister recalled that in July 2024 it was agreed to extend the right to opt for Spanish nationality under this law for a third year. By the end of 2024, 609,000 applications had been received by the consular network, of which 288,000 have already been approved.

To cope with the increase in activity, the ministry is opening new consulates general to add to the already existing ones in the UK and China - those in Cuba and India will follow soon - and has approved 150 posts for consulates and consular services, as well as three deputy consul posts in the consulates of Havana, Buenos Aires and Mexico.

Young Summer 2025

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, has reported on the approval of the royal decree-law to promote the third edition of the Verano Joven programme, which will once again offer discounts of up to 90% for bus and train travel to young people with Spanish nationality or legal residence in Spain between the ages of 18 and 30 years.

Alegría explained that the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility will allocate €120 million to cover the subsidies for single and return tickets for journeys in Spain and also for Interrail in Europe. The spokeswoman recalled that this measure enabled more than 5.2 million journeys to be made in 2024.

In the third edition of the Verano Joven programme, all young people born between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2007 will be able to benefit from the discounts. They will be able to get discounted bus and train tickets from 1 July to 30 September 2025. To qualify for the discounts, you must register on the Verano Joven website, which will be enabled in the next few days.

Forest fire prevention plan

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, together with the Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, at the press conference | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

Pilar Alegría has also confirmed the approval of the action plan for the prevention and fight against forest fires for 2025, to which other measures have been added with the same objective of providing an effective response to the risks inherent to summer and high temperatures.

As Alegría explained, the fire-fighting plan foresees an unprecedented investment in prevention for critical infrastructures, amounting to €115.8 million, which will be used for both preventive work and clean-up. In this context, the minister recalled that Spain recorded just 6,134 fires last year, the lowest number in the decade, although they involved five deaths and the evacuation of nearly 7,000 people.

The minister explained that the rapid response contingent of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) will be maintained with more than 1,400 troops, a state fleet of 14 firefighting aircraft and 63 aircraft coordinated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition. The Forest Fire Reinforcement Brigades (BRIF) will also be deployed. "To all of them, to the teams working in fire prevention and firefighting, on behalf of the Government of Spain, we send our congratulations and, above all, our thanks for their important work at this time of year," she concluded.

Moreover, among the additional measures the Government has approved for the summer of 2025 are actions covering public safety, travel, public health, immigration and consumer affairs. These actions include campaigns against gender violence and LGTBIphobia, the "Viaja Seguro" programme, and the youth and drugs campaign.

40th anniversary of Spain's accession to the EU

The government spokesperson began her speech at the press conference by referring to the celebration this week of the 40th anniversary of Spain's accession to the EU. To mark the occasion, a ceremony will be held at the Royal Palace, presided over by King Felipe VI and attended by the President of the European Council, Antonio Cósta, and the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.

At this point, Alegría made a positive assessment of the changes that Spain has undergone in the last 40 years. "We have enjoyed the greatest social and economic transformation in contemporary history, and we have experienced the period of greatest stability and progress in our country", said the minister, who once again underlined that Spain leads GDP growth among the main European economies and currently triples the growth of the most important countries in the EU.

"Together, and thanks to the deployment of Recovery Plan funds, we have also been able to implement measures to overcome the pandemic crisis, and we have faced the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the tariff policies of the US, where our government has activated a safety net for companies and workers in our country," she concluded.

Non official translation