Sánchez backs second mandate for von der Leyen

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed support for a more federalised EU as his country recently took over the Spanish EU Council Presidency while backing the mandate renewals of EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Sánchez expressed support for the renewal of conservative Ursula von der Leyen’s mandate – set to expire in June 2024 – if the Commission presidency were to go to her centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) in an informal chat with journalists about the Spanish EU Council presidency in Madrid.

Sánchez, who has a very good relationship with von der Leyen, praised her work and vision at the helm of the Commission, marked by a global pandemic and the Ukraine war. He also highlighted the importance of having more women in high-level jobs to ensure gender parity is kept.

Von der Leyen still has not confirmed whether she will seek another term as head of the Commission, particularly as she and the leader of her EU group, EPP chief Manfred Weber who was in the EPP’s Spitzenkandidat before von der Leyen came along in 2019,  are taking different approaches, with Weber turning to the far-right to advance on policy topics.

“Climate change is a fact. We have an idea, we have a vision on how to address it and tackle the difficulties […] You can have prosperity while protecting nature and the environment”, she said, sending a message to the EPP, which recently voted against the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament with nationalist conservative ECR and far-right ID.

During the informal chat, Sánchez also supported NATO’s Stoltenberg, who saw his mandate extended for a third time this week.

“Honoured by NATO Allies’ decision to extend my term as Secretary General until 1 October 2024”, Stoltenberg said on Twitter on 4 July.

“Spain appreciates the great leadership of Stoltenberg at the head of NATO and considers it crucial not to change direction and to consolidate our political position at this time,” said Sánchez.

‘Federalisation’ of EU policies

Sánchez also recently backed the idea of having a more federalised EU.

“We need to move forward with a more federalised European Union”, Sánchez said during a joint press briefing in Madrid with von der Leyen on Monday.

With the start of Spain’s EU Council Presidency, Sánchez reflected on the institutional reform the EU needs to undergo before a possible enlargement, including an EU budget revamp and CAP and cohesion funds reforms.

“How do we foresee the union in the coming years? What are the goals, and what is the strategic action of the European Union in ten years now?” Sánchez questioned.

“We need to share more policies, we need to share more sovereignty, and we need to find common responses to common challenges,” he said.

Sánchez refers to the success of facing common European challenges such as the financial crisis, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine as examples of how EU-wide solutions are more efficient, a Spanish official has said.

(Max Griera | EURACTIV.com)

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