Spaanse regering redelijk tevreden over voortgang tijdens Voorzitterschap (en)

The Spanish Government is "reasonably satisfied" with the evaluation of the EU Presidency as it has achieved "important progress" in all the areas it emphasised as key areas for these six months, particularly overcoming the economic crisis and setting up the Treaty of Lisbon.

This was highlighted today by the First Vice-president of the Spanish government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, in her evaluation before the Congress and Senate mixed commission for the European Union, in which she explained the main agreements and progress over the last six months.

"I believe when we look back that this Presidency will be seen as the one in which the `pillars were set for the economic governance of the Union; the Presidency in which Europeans began to have the same voice and the same action abroad; the Presidency that designed the strategy for our economic future", and a Presidency that worked so that the EU would not only be a union of states, but "above all, a union of their people", stated De la Vega.

Overcoming the economic crisis

According to the Vice-president, the most important challenge faced by the Spanish Presidency has been overcoming the economic crisis and "finally leaving bad (economic and financial) practice behind", achieving the collaboration and compromise of all parts, providing Europe with economic governance and setting the bases of a new growth model that is "more solid, more just and more secure".

The many measures adopted on this front give results that are "more than noteworthy", she said after highlighting the approval of the 2020 Strategy, the creation of new supervising authorities and the reform of the Stability Pact, among others.

New institutions

On political matters, De la Vega emphasised the setting up of the Treaty of Lisbon and the new EU institutions; a challenge that Spain faced with an attitude of "permanent collaboration" which has allowed us to consolidate the new authorities -the President of the Council and the High Representative of the EU- as "central, key figures in the Union".

The political decision on the European External Action Service, the importance of the summits held with third countries -particularly Latin America-, progress in matters of Justice and Security, the open skies agreement and others mean that "although the stage was missing, we have achieved the main goals set in terms of content and, in the end, that is what counts", she stressed.

Social and security progress

The Vice-president valued the progress made on social matters and the defence of the welfare and security of EU citizens, who the Spanish Presidency has made great efforts to turn into the "protagonists and not simply extras".

She recalled that the development of the Stockholm Programme Action Plan, the impulse for the EU adhesion to the European Convention on Human Rights, the setting up of the new plan for effective equality between women and men, and the political decision to promote the European protection order, are all important advances achieved under the Spanish Presidency.