The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, presented this Thursday the country’s priorities for the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will begin on July 1. The head of the Executive has outlined four key points: the reindustrialization of Europe, the green transition, the social pillar and the strengthening of the position of the European Union at a global level as architect of the new world order. Sánchez has emphasized the weight of tax justice within the social pillar and has assured that Spain will work to set minimum taxation standards for all companies -after a minimum of 15% is approved for large companies-, and avoid tax evasion of companies and large fortunes through ghost companies.
Spain once again holds the presidency of one of the seven institutions of the European Union thirteen years later, a period that, according to the President of the Government, they face with “gratitude and responsibility”. The set of events that have taken place since then -the financial crisis of 2008, Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine- have changed for Sánchez “the principles that guide economic activity” and the response to the climate emergency, for what he understands that now “is at stake” the well-being of citizens, their salaries, their jobs and even gender freedom. For this reason, the socialist leader advocates making this presidency “a useful instrument that improves people’s lives” and bringing the European institutions closer to the citizens.
Economic issues will have a fundamental weight during this semester, in which Spanish politicians expect the reform of the electricity market to be completed, led by the Third Vice President of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The consolidation of a reform that would decouple electricity prices from the cost of gas would be the finishing touch to a strategy led by the Spanish minister for just over a year, which ended up materializing in the cap on gas, gets together with the Portuguese neighbor. For this reason, the President of the Executive has also promised to speed up its approval in collaboration with local communities.
