The Government stresses that all the objectives of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union are being achieved

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, presented the Council of Ministers with a report on the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on 1 July and runs until 31 December.

"Halfway through this six-month period, we can already speak of a success for Europe, a success for Spain and a success for the country in the face of the challenge that lies ahead and for which we are reaching the milestones we set ourselves", he said. Albares also argued that the Spanish presidency is making it possible, "and this is recognised by our European partners", to make progress in designing the future of Europe and to reach agreements that directly improve the lives of citizens.

Among these achievements, the acting minister highlighted three summits "that will mark a before and after for the European Union and which would not have been possible without Spanish leadership": the summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the first in eight years; the European Political Community Summit in Granada, which was attended by more than forty heads of state and government and marked the first visit to Spain by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the informal European Council which took place in the same city, defined by Albares as "the starting point for a new strategic agenda" and "the first stone in the enlargement of the European Union".

In addition, ten formal Councils, three Eurogroup meetings and eighteen ministerial meetings - in fifteen Spanish cities - have been held during this presidency, and an extraordinary European Council is taking place this afternoon to address the situation in the Middle East.

Priorities and agreements reached

José Manuel Albares assured that the Government views the six-month period with "ambition and responsibility" and wants to give the greatest possible impetus to all the key legislative dossiers in the run-up to next year's European elections. "And in that spirit, we have already concluded many vital agreements that fall within our four priorities: reindustrialising Europe, advancing the green transition, promoting social and economic justice and strengthening the European Union," he said.

The acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, during his speech | Pool Moncloa / José Manuel Álvarez

Among others, Albares cited the Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand, the progress on the Directive for the empowerment of consumers for the green transition, the Data Law and the unblocking of the Immigration and Asylum Pact. And, in the institutional sphere, the agreement on the distribution of seats in the European Parliament after the next elections, "where Spain will have two new seats that will allow us to make our voice better heard in Europe".

The acting minister also stressed that the Spanish presidency "has gone further than ever and further than anyone in defending our co-official languages", which is "another way of bringing Europe closer to its citizens". He also explained that progress is being made with the states to ensure that the proposed reform of the Regulation on the EU's language regime, which Albares presented in September, becomes a reality "as soon as possible" so that Catalan, Galician and Basque are included in this multilingual regime.

Agenda for the rest of the Spanish presidency

The acting Minister for Foreign Affairs pointed out that, during the remainder of the Spanish presidency, two more meetings of the European Council and three international summits will be held: with the United States, Canada and the Western Balkans. Six sectoral councils and three ministerial meetings have also been organised: with the Western Balkans, the African Union and, in Barcelona, the Southern Neighbourhood and Union for the Mediterranean, "which, in light of the events in the Middle East, is even more relevant and important than Spain had given it".

Albares highlighted the dialogue with the European Parliament and the European Commission and the opening of negotiations with the candidate countries for accession as the focus for the remainder of the six-month period. The political decision on this issue, he recalled, should be taken at the European Council in December. Other key issues will be the revision of the multiannual financial framework, common rules on gas and hydrogen markets, the Artificial Intelligence Act, the Directive on working conditions for platform workers and the Critical Raw Materials Act.

"All the objectives of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union are being met", said Albares, who added that "the pro-European vocation of the Spanish people and of this Government is well known in Brussels, and at the end of the six-month period the presidency will be described as a success for all of us, from which all Europeans will benefit".

Defending women's rights in the world

The acting Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, and the acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, at the press conference | Pool Moncloa / José Manuel Álvarez

The acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation also presented a report on the Feminist Foreign Policy Action Plan 2023-2024, which is a hallmark of Spain's foreign policy as a progressive, supportive and reliable country in the current convulsive and complex international context".

Albares stated that the plan is part of existing public policies and the fulfilment of Spain's international commitments, and is an instrument that is coherent with the determination to improve the situation of millions of women and girls in the world and to defend their rights.

"We will continue to push for more and more countries to join this key consensus on the equality of women and girls in the development of our societies and in peace building," he said.

Support for the fruit and vegetable and wine sector

The Council of Ministers has agreed to apply the relaxations of several EU regulations in Spain so that fruit and vegetable producers and wine producers affected by adverse climatic events, who have difficulties in meeting the requirements to qualify for sectoral aid, can have access to it.

The acting Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, remarked that one of the Executive's major commitments throughout the legislature has been to pay attention to the primary sector, and more specifically to agriculture, to manage direct aid to the sector, to support it in its transformation and to alleviate the adversities it has suffered due to market disturbances and also from climatic issues.

The flexibilities are aimed at facilitating access to aid under the support programme for the wine sector, extending the validity of vineyard authorisations and making it easier for fruit and vegetable producers to access funds.

Flexibilities for wine, fruit and vegetables

The spokesperson specified that, in terms of vineyard planting, the validity of authorisations, which expire in 2023, will be extended by 12 months. In addition, for vineyard restructuring and conversion operations, which are part of the Wine Sector Support Programme, 3% of spending will be allowed to be justified instead of the 30% required to continue implementation. The deadline for full completion and payment is extended to 15 October 2025, instead of October 2023 as planned.

The acting Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/José Manuel Álvarez

On the other hand, Isabel Rodríguez explained that the requirements for investment measures in wineries and restructuring and reconversion of vineyards have also been made more flexible.

The changes to the eligibility conditions also include the fruit and vegetable sector. The latter will have more room for manoeuvre to modify its programme during the year, as well as the possibility of requesting advance or partial payments of the aid to cover investments already made.

Aid from professional fishery and aquaculture organisations

The Government has also agreed to simplify the procedure to access aid for professional fisheries and aquaculture organisations and to make the criteria and interpretations of the management units of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund more uniform.

Isabel Rodríguez pointed out that the aim is to boost the capacity of producer organisations to act. One of the main new items is the possibility of receiving 100% funding for priority actions, such as improving the selectivity of fishing gear, implementing innovative solutions or promoting small-scale fishing.

The maximum funding limit remains at 12% of the average value of the organisation's production in the last three years and the goal, according to the spokeswoman, is to "position these organisations as instruments for implementing the Common Fisheries Policy in our country".

Declaration of emergency in La Palma

The Government has taken note of the declaration of emergency for the restoration of the area affected by the Puntagorda forest fire, on the island of La Palma, for a maximum amount of 594,392.52 euros.

Current Affairs

During his appearance at the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, reiterated the Government's position following the terrorist attack against Israel: "We condemn the terrorist attack by a terrorist organisation such as Hamas against Israel. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. We deplore all the innocent casualties that are occurring and recognise Israel's right to defend itself against this terrorist attack. Any action to repel this attack has to be in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law".

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

Albares added that a distinction must be made between terrorist targets and the civilian population of Gaza, who must be guaranteed basic supplies: water and electricity. To this end, he said that Spain wants humanitarian corridors so that aid can reach the civilian population.

The acting minister recalled that he met a few days ago with Spanish NGOs working with Palestine, to whom he announced that the Government would increase cooperation with a first package of one million euros in humanitarian aid.

Moreover, Albares stressed that European aid should be maintained: "The Palestinian National Authority is a known partner, a good partner for European cooperation with whom we have been working for a long time, and not a single cent of European or Spanish cooperation ends up in the hands of the terrorist organisation Hamas".

The acting Minister for Foreign Affairs reflected on peace in the Middle East: "Peace will only come through a two-state solution. When a State of Israel and a State of Palestine coexist peacefully and securely in good neighbourly coexistence, as endorsed by the United Nations, and also by the resolution, unanimously approved by the Lower House of Parliament in 2014".

Asked about a possible evacuation of Spanish citizens in Gaza, the acting minister said that the Government is in permanent contact with them and has a list of those who wish to leave the territory. Albares added that he is in contact with his counterparts in Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan and all the countries that are key to resolving the crisis and with various international organisations in order "to be able to carry out this evacuation operation as soon as it is safely possible".

Non official translation