The President of the Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, spoke with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for a few minutes prior to the dinner with which the 2nd Eastern Partnership Summit was officially opened in Warsaw. Angela Merkel told the President of the Government that Germany is impressed by the titanic effort made by Spain in order to implement its reforms.
In turn, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero congratulated the German Chancellor on the approval of the Euro Stability Fund on Thursday in the Bundestag. Angela Merkel was pleased to hear about the interest with which Spain has followed the assessment made by the German Parliament of the reform carried out in Spain.
The two leaders agreed that the important thing now is for those countries that have not yet ratified the agreements adopted in Brussels on 21 July to do so. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero told Angela Merkel that he is convinced the vote on Thursday in the German Parliament will serve as an example and incentive for other countries to approve the application of the agreements adopted in Brussels.
Support for the reforms in the Eastern Partnership
The President of the Government, who is attending the 2nd Eastern Partnership Summit in Warsaw, said that this meeting provides the European Union with an opportunity to renew its commitment to continued support for the reform processes being implemented by Europe's eastern neighbours. Those were the words of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero at the dinner with which the summit was officially opened.
The President of the Government stressed that the European Neighbourhood Policy is a fundamental line of action within the EU's foreign policy. He went on to say that, just as the EU is providing assistance to its neighbours to the south at a time when those societies are calling for greater liberty and democracy, the twenty-seven Member States of the European Union are firmly committed to the efforts aimed at strengthening political and economic cooperation with its neighbours to the east.
In his speech, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero also mentioned the economic crisis being felt by Europe and defended the need to keep moving forward, with increased speed and determination, on the issue of European governance.
The President of the Government concluded by saying that, two years on from its creation, the countries involved in the Partnership can feel reasonably satisfied even though there remains much work still to be done. He encouraged the neighbouring countries that form part of the Partnership to continue with their reform processes on the path towards democracy and the Rule of Law. Institutionally-speaking, this means improving democratic quality and the effectiveness of the Rule of Law and its guarantees. Economically and socially-speaking, it means greater social cohesion so that the market economy can become more transparent.
Pool Moncloa