Statements by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, on his arrival at the informal meeting of European leaders

STATEMENTS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Well, first of all, I want to thank the Government of Cyprus and the Cypriot people for their hospitality in hosting this informal meeting.

And secondly, the issues. The issues are the wars.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to speak with President Zelensky and express our support for the Ukrainian cause on two fundamental points. First, the fact that, after many months, the €90 billion in aid to Ukrainian society has finally been released, among other things, to continue supporting a country, not only militarily but also institutionally, that has been at war for more than four years-we are now approaching the fifth year of Putin's attempted invasion of Ukraine.

And secondly, we also discussed Ukraine's membership of the European Union. That's one point.

Secondly, we also addressed the situation, the delicate situation in the Middle East. Of course, the war in Iran. Also, of course, the war in Lebanon and the situation unfolding in many other parts of the Middle East, such as Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank.

I believe that if there's one interpretation I've wanted to share with European leaders, it's that the situation in the Middle East, the crisis caused by this illegal war, demonstrates the failure of brute force and the imperative to respect international law, the multilateral order, to safeguard and strengthen it.

Why? Because the law of the strongest ultimately makes the world much weaker. And that's what we're seeing, unfortunately, in the Middle East: a situation where the objective of the war is unclear; secondly, there doesn't seem to be enough trust between the parties to reach an agreement in the short term. And what does that ultimately lead to? First, there is suffering, the loss of thousands of lives as a consequence of the wars, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people, for example, in Lebanon. Third, there is an undermining of the international order and, finally, economic consequences that are already being borne by households, businesses, industries-in short, European economies.

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the economic impact we are suffering: since the war began, the cost of importing fossil fuels in Europe has increased by €24 billion, that is, €500 million per day, €24 billion more, €500 million per day.

Therefore, from this perspective, I believe that the least costly measure, and the one that saves the most lives, as the Government of Spain has always advocated, is for this war to end as soon as possible. That is why we are calling on the parties to sit down, to engage in dialogue, and to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

Secondly, in the meantime, what Europe needs to do is, of course, based on the Commission's communication, which makes a series of recommendations to countries to address this energy crisis and its impact on prices, particularly fuel prices. Spain has always advocated for the same thing: first, electrification, therefore, weaning ourselves off fossil fuels, gaining energy independence, and that means investing in the energy sources we have in our country, which are solar, and of course, also hydroelectric and wind power.

On this basis, we have asked the Commission for a more ambitious joint response from the European Union.

What does this mean? First, as you know, some companies are currently profiting from the rise in crude oil prices. Therefore, we need to take coordinated action to reinstate, as we did during the Russian energy crisis, a tax on large energy companies-an extraordinary tax to finance a significant portion of the measures we are currently implementing to protect citizens, businesses, and industries.

Second, we need more resources to continue the electrification and green energy transformation of our economies, including interconnections.

What does this entail? From Spain's perspective, it entails two things. First, the possibility and our proposal to extend the Next Generation EU funds from 6 to 12 months, beyond June, to link them to the electrification of our economy, to the energy transformation of the European economy, and therefore, the Spanish economy.

Because that is what will make us more resilient. The great lesson of all these energy shocks resulting from wars is precisely that: the need to electrify and to continue with the commitment to renewables that the Government of Spain has been making for the last eight years.

And finally, to open the debate. Just as has been done with the defence budget, with defence spending, to open the debate on a relaxation of fiscal rules for investment in this energy transformation and in this electrification.

In short, Spain has put forward proposals that I believe are reasonable, that I believe are consistent with the magnitude of the energy crisis that the world is suffering and that Europe is also suffering. And so, these are the points I made at dinner yesterday and that we will make today.

One final point. As you know, last Tuesday the Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, raised the issue of suspending the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel at the Foreign Affairs Council.

Yesterday I defended that position, because something that is delegitimising us not only in the eyes of the world, but also internally, within our societies, is this double standard, this double yardstick that Europe is using in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Because we must remember that Article 2 of that Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel speaks of respecting international law, humanitarian law. And clearly, neither in Lebanon nor, of course, in the West Bank, nor certainly in Gaza, is Israel respecting it.

And this must also lead us to this reflection and this action, because it cannot be that we are united, as we are, supporting, as we must, a people who are being subjected to an attempted invasion and a challenge to their territorial integrity, and yet in the Middle East we fail to do the same, especially when we are talking about Lebanon, Palestine, Gaza, and the West Bank.

This is the point I also made yesterday. Unfortunately, there are governments that are in favour, other governments that are against; there is no unity on this matter, and the result of all this is a weakening of the European Union's position, its legitimacy-at least politically-and its credibility when it comes to defending causes as just as that of Ukraine.

Europe is a peace project, it is a multilateral project. It is up to us to defend this international order, this respect for international law, because if we don't, the law of the strongest, which is what we are witnessing, leads us to a weaker, far more insecure, and more uncertain world.

And in the end, this comes at a price, in lives, in the displacement of refugees, and certainly in the economic consequences that, unfortunately, all governments are now facing as a result of unilateral and illegal decisions made by third-party countries.

Q.- [Almudena Guerrero, TVE] Mr. President, we have just learned that, in an internal email, the Pentagon is considering suspending Spain from NATO for not cooperating with the United States in the war against Iran.

President: Well, we don't work with emails; we work with official documents and the positions taken by the United States government in this case.

The position of the Government of Spain is clear: absolute cooperation with the allies, but always within the framework of international law.

Q.- [Iñaki Aguado, Telecinco] Mr. President, yesterday we heard from former President Mariano Rajoy in court. Would you like to give your assessment of what we saw there? And do you believe that the current People's Party bears any responsibility for what we are seeing these days? [inaudible]

And a second question, because we are ending the week with the agreement between the PP and VOX in Aragon, with national priorities at the centre. I would like to know the level of concern of the President of the Government of Spain and whether your partners here have conveyed any unease to you about the fact that the far right is returning to regional governments in Spain.

President: Well, that's a lot of questions, I'll try to answer them all.

The first one is about the trial of Mr. Mariano Rajoy and the former leadership of the People's Party and also the Ministry of Home Affairs.

I think what's most important is for citizens to remember what Operation Kitchen is, because Operation Kitchen encompasses three things.

First, it's the systematic irregular financing of the People's Party over decades.

Second, it's an attempt to obstruct justice and the police investigation and prosecution of this corruption and this irregular financing of the People's Party. And to do this, they used none other than the so-called "patriotic police" to persecute the former treasurer of the People's Party and, therefore, destroy evidence that could incriminate the top officials in Mariano Rajoy's government or the leadership of the People's Party.

That's what we're talking about: corruption, irregular financing, obstruction of justice, and also an attempt to destroy evidence that could incriminate those leaderships.

That's where we're coming from. And what I want to tell the citizens is that when we came to power in 2018, all of that disappeared. All of that disappeared. There is no patriotic police force.

Of course, there has always been collaboration and cooperation with the State law enforcement forces and agencies and with the Justice system, even when we have seen cases of corruption that, unfortunately, have affected my party, but to which we have, of course, responded with the utmost forcefulness and proportionality to the serious accusations that hung over former officials of the Socialist Party.

And that is what I would like the People's Party to do as well: not only observe and criticise what one party or another does, but also assume those responsibilities. And unfortunately, we have not seen the People's Party criticise, nor distance itself from, this Operation Kitchen.

What we have seen is, on the contrary, their protection and support in this case of Mr. Mariano Rajoy. But that is what we are talking about. That is Operation Kitchen: corruption, irregular financing, obstruction of justice, and the spurious use of the state apparatus-in this case, the National Police, the so-called "patriotic police"-precisely to destroy evidence and obstruct justice.

And that, fortunately, was overcome in 2018 with the vote of no confidence and also with the arrival of my government.

Finally, regarding the agreements between the People's Party and Vox, there is something that I think has gone somewhat unnoticed by many citizens and also by the media, and that is the very strong stance taken by an NGO as relevant in the defence of human rights as Amnesty International

Amnesty International, which is an absolutely independent NGO, is not beholden to any government. What it has said is that these agreements put human rights at risk in our country.

And I can only agree with that assessment, because when they talk about national priorities, they are talking about creating first- and second-class citizens.

When they talk about national priorities, what they're really talking about is violating a basic principle of our Constitution: non-discrimination and equality among citizens, regardless of where they live, their origin, race, sexual orientation, or gender.

And I want to link this to the second point, because it starts with this discrimination, but the agreements in both Extremadura and Aragon also single out associations that provide social services that the State doesn't cover.

And we're talking about all kinds of associations, not just religious ones, but also feminist ones, associations that provide care and that, in some way, work to promote diversity.

This is what we're talking about: opening the door to discrimination that today affects migrant citizens, but that in the near future will undoubtedly affect many other groups that have always been targeted by the far right.

And this, obviously, leads me to reflect on whether, after four or six months of negotiations, the only thing they can offer Spain, Extremadura, and Aragon is this project of regression and reaction. I believe it is a real disaster for the interests of Extremadura, Aragon, and Spain.

I believe that Spain moves forward when it looks ahead, not backward; when it recognises rights, not when it curtails them; when it sees diversity and equality as elements of economic development, prosperity, and cohesion, and not when it sees them as a risk that clearly isn't one.

What I can convey, of course, to the People's Party and Vox, and also to the citizens for their peace of mind, is that when any law is passed that contravenes these principles I've mentioned, which are enshrined in our Constitution-the fundamental principle of equality among Spaniards, among citizens living in our country-the Government of Spain will act with the full force of the law and, of course, with absolute decisiveness.

Q.- [Jordi Armenteras, RAC1] [partially inaudible] ...How are relations with Junts? How do you interpret the request they've made to you…?

President. Well, I believe the results of the Government's actions are evident from the perspective of economic growth, job creation, and the reduction of inequality.

Of course, we still have a long way to go, but precisely for that reason, this Government's actions are so necessary, not only until 2027, but beyond.

I believe that the commitment to coexistence, to cohesion, to the structural transformation of our economy, to Spain's international projection based on values and principles that are so important, more necessary today than ever, such as respect for international law and the safeguarding of human rights, justifies the actions of the Government of Spain.

Therefore, the relationship with Junts, as with any other parliamentary group, is one of working daily to try to advance political issues for the benefit of the citizens of Catalonia and Spain.

And let me say one thing: I appreciate the support that Junts has given to these policies on many occasions. For example, with the ratification of the Royal Decree-Law to address the effects of the Iraq War in Spain.

And other parties that claim to be pro-Spanish, such as the opposition parties, haven't done this. Again, not only regarding the war, but also with this Royal Decree-Law ratifying the measures, they have remained neutral and abstained, refusing to vote in favour.

Q.-[Carlota Núñez, Cuatro] [inaudible] [inaudible

President - Spain will always defend two things.

First, the general interest of our country.

And second, fulfilment of our responsibilities, which we fully assume as good NATO allies. In fact, we have military forces deployed in Eastern Europe to defend our territorial integrity against the Russian threat, and, of course, we are supporting Ukraine, also using NATO instruments to finance Ukraine's purchase of weapons and military capabilities.

We had this debate last year precisely regarding the 5%. Spain stated that the capabilities NATO was asking for could be met with 2.1% of our Gross Domestic Product. And that is what we have done, precisely this year for the first time since, I believe, 2014, when this agreement was signed with a previous administration at the NATO summit in Wales.

We have managed to reach that 2.1%. Therefore, from our point of view, there is no debate. We are fulfilling our obligations.

We are a loyal partner, we are committed, deployed in many of these areas that have been requested by the member countries themselves. And therefore, absolute peace of mind.

Q.- [Inaudible]

President: I believe that one is a good framework, but it's insufficient. One is a good framework because it gives us some leverage to act, but I think there are two fundamental elements.

First, we have to open the debate and approve a relaxation of the fiscal rules, as we did with defence spending. Yesterday I proposed that this debate also be opened so that spending on the electrification of our economy in the pursuit of renewable energies will not count as part of the deficit.

And second, I think we have to open a debate on extending the Next Generation funds for six or twelve months so that the funds that haven't been used can be used for the electrification and energy transformation of our economies.

I think the great lesson of all these energy shocks we're seeing-Ukraine, Iran-is the need to become more autonomous, more sovereign from an energy point of view. And that means energy transformation and green energy.

Thanks to these green energy sources, we now have electricity prices that are much cheaper than the European average. And this has a lot to do with the commitment we've been making for the last eight years to electrification, energy transformation, and investing in solar and wind power.

And I hope this will also encourage other countries to follow suit, because I think it's the only way to guarantee the survival of our industry and the well-being of our households.

Well, thank you very much. When are you coming back?

Q.- [Daniel Basteiro, Bloomberg] Mr. President, one last question about the FCAS project being discussed by France and Germany. Do you think the project is in danger? Is it doomed to fail because of the disagreement between the two countries?

President: Well, what we need to remember here is that this is a project in which Spain is participating with a one-third workshare; it's one-third Spain, one-third Germany, and one-third France.

One of those thirds-not Spain-seems to be having some difficulties in initiating this cooperation. Of course, Spain is not, and what we want is for this project to be unblocked once and for all, if you'll excuse the expression.

Because when we talk about the defence industry, this is what we're talking about. We're talking about common European projects that will allow us to move towards what I advocate for, and have publicly stated on many occasions: a European army.

And this European army needs European capabilities and a European industry, on the scale required by this very difficult moment for the world and for Europe.

Thank you very much.

Questions and answers in English:

Q.- [Inaudible]

President. Well, no, I think that most of the leaders have already said that this is not our war. I think what matters now is how do we find a solution. And for that, I think that Europe is, of course, building this Coalition of the Willing when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz. And of course, we are ready to help, but always within the framework of international law and multilateralism. This is, I think, the most important message: there is no way out of this crisis without fulfilling the international obligations and, of course, fulfilling the international law.

Q.- [Inaudible]

President. Well, I think that I can speak about Europe, and I think that over the last four years, Europe has shown its strong commitment with Ukraine, with its cause. And this commitment will last and will last until we reach a lasting and, let's say, a strong peace agreement between the parties.

Q.- [Inaudible]

President. Well, I think that we have to do it together. But if this is not the case, I think Europe should try it, because it's something that is not only related to the respect of territorial integrity of Ukraine, it's also related to the strengthening of the European Union project. And this is, I think, very important also to acknowledge, that this invasion is not only to invade Ukraine, but also to undermine our common project, which is the European Union. So why not? Let's try it. I think what is important is that we, within the international law, we find a solution to this war.

Q.- Should Ukraine's accession to the EU be fast-tracked?

President. Well, I always, you know, coming from a country as Spain, and we are now commemorating the 40th anniversary of our entrance in the European Union, Spain has been always very positive to any enlargement towards Ukraine, Moldova and of course, Western Balkans.

So I think that this is a commitment of Europe vis-a-vis Ukraine. And I think that Ukraine could strengthen our political project, the European Union project. So we are very positive and open for this discussion.

[Translation:

Q.- [Inaudible]

President: Well, no, I think most leaders have already said that this is not our war. I think what matters now is how we find a solution. And for that, I believe Europe is, of course, forming this Coalition of the Willing with regard to the Strait of Hormuz. And, of course, we are ready to help, but always within the framework of international law and multilateralism. This is, in my opinion, the most important message: there is no way out of this crisis without fulfilling international obligations and, of course, without respecting international law.

Q.- [Inaudible]

President: Well, I think I can speak for Europe, and I believe that, over the past four years, Europe has demonstrated its firm commitment to Ukraine and its cause. And this commitment will endure until we reach a lasting and, let's say, solid peace agreement between the parties.

Q.- [Inaudible]

President: Well, I think we must do it together. But if that's not the case, I think Europe should try, because it's not just about respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity, but also about strengthening the European Union project. And I think it's very important to recognise that this invasion isn't just aimed at invading Ukraine, but also at undermining our common project, which is the European Union. So why not? Let's give it a try. I think the important thing is that, within the framework of international law, we find a solution to this war.

Q.- Should Ukraine's accession to the EU be accelerated?

President - Well, as you know, coming from a country like Spain-and now that we're commemorating the 40th anniversary of our accession to the European Union-Spain has always been very supportive of any enlargement to include Ukraine, Moldova, and, of course, the Western Balkans.

I see this as Europe's commitment to Ukraine. And I believe that Ukraine could strengthen our political project, the European Union project. We are therefore very supportive and open to this debate].

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)