This midnight Spain began the semi-annual presidency of the Council of the European Union, the fifth time that it has assumed this responsibility and which has started with a symbolic trip of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to Ukraine to ratify community support for this country in the face of the Russian invasion.
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Sánchez traveled by train to the Ukrainian capital at dawn after participating in Brussels in the summit of EU leaders in which this trip was announced and after which he stated that His commitment during that term will be to guarantee the unity of Europe in supporting Ukraine.
It was the Ukrainian president himself, Volodimir Zelenski, who, in a videoconference speech before the leaders meeting in the Belgian capital, advanced and thanked the head of the Spanish Executive for moving.
Zelenski emphasized the symbolic nature of Sánchez’s visit on the first day of the Spanish presidency of the EU. “For the first time, the beginning of a country’s presidency will be emphasized with a visit to Ukraine. And this says a lot about how important the next six months will be for our Europe. This is a historic time to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” she noted before stating that Ukraine is ready and “fully prepared” to start them.
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Sánchez, on his third trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, arrived in Kiev early in the morning, and will meet Zelenski and speak before the Ukrainian Parliament to guarantee that the support of the European Union will continue without cracks.
I want to convey my support and praise to @ZelenskyyUa and to the Ukrainian people for their heroic fight against their aggressor.
I wish Ukraine success in its counter-offensive, which we hope will lead to a just and lasting peace.
Europe and Spain will lose by their side the time that is necessary. pic.twitter.com/FfUKJS5yCt
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 1, 2023
Spanish government sources underline that the Spanish presidency of the EU wants to set unanimous support for Ukraine at the top of its priorities, both in the military, humanitarian and economic fields, and intends to reinforce the commitment to certainty, and reconstruction of the country .
It also supports his goal of one day forming part of the European Union, encouraging him to undertake the necessary reforms to do so. Sánchez will return to Spain this Saturday and on Sunday he will receive the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the Moncloa Palace, with whom he will have a working dinner.
The following day, Monday, Spain will receive the visit of the College of Commissioners, the members of the European Commission, led by its president, Ursula von der Leyen, and there will be meetings of all of them with Sánchez and the rest of the ministers. A meeting that will take place in the newly opened Gallery of Royal Collections.
Ukraine is going to win the war because it has already won the battle of ideas by choosing Europe.
The EU rose to avoid wars. We decided to unite in our diversity, and that made us stronger.
Europe is with you. pic.twitter.com/6r370BcjlU
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 1, 2023
It was planned that to open the semester of the Spanish presidency of the EU there would be a concert in Madrid on Sunday attended by King Felipe and the Prime Minister, but the agenda was changed after Sánchez decided to advance the general elections to July 23 .
Spain assumes the European presidency with four main priorities: the reindustrialization of the EU and guaranteeing its open strategic autonomy, advancing in the ecological transition and environmental adaptation, promoting greater social and economic justice, and reinforcing European unity.
Among the issues on which it is expected that progress can be made over the next six months (the last full rotating presidency before the 2024 European elections) is the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the modification of fiscal rules, the reform of the electricity market or the revision of the community budget to allocate more aid to Ukraine.
During the six months there will be meetings of European commissioners and ministers throughout Spain, and, specifically, there will be 22 cities that will host an event of these characteristics.
The main one of all of them will be in Granada, where on October 6 there will be a summit of EU leaders preceded the day before by another of the European Political Community, which brings together the heads of state and government of the community with those of the European countries which, like the United Kingdom, are not part of the Twenty-seven.
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Another relevant appointment of the presidency will be in Brussels on July 17 and 18, when the leaders of the EU will meet with those of Latin America and the Caribbean in a summit promoted by Sánchez to strengthen relations between the two regions in a meeting that will not has been held since 2015
EFE
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