State Secretary for EU travels to Extremadura to step up cooperation on European dossiers

The State Secretary for the European Union, Juan González-Barba, paid a working visit to Extremadura in order to discuss the European dossiers with the greatest impact on regional and local institutions in the region.

During his visit, Juan González-Barba met with the President of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara, to discuss cross-border cooperation with Portugal, involvement by the regional government authorities in the Conference on the Future of Europe and collaboration with the Yuste Foundation. The President of the Regional Government of Extremadura currently heads up the Spanish delegation on the Committee of the Regions, meaning that he plays a particularly important role in guaranteeing effective participation by regional governments and local authorities in European political debate.

The State secretary also met and spoke with parliamentary spokespersons and the Speaker of the Regional Parliament of Extremadura to hear positions from all sides on European affairs, stressing that the fight against the pandemic and execution of the recovery funds are topics that require support from all political parties and all public authorities.

The institutional visit also included meetings with the Mayors of Caceres, Luis Salaya, and Merida, Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, to receive first-hand information on the municipal affairs of greatest interest at a European level. The State secretary encouraged them to get involved in the Conference on the Future of Europe, within the framework of which the Government of Spain intends to propose more active participation by cities in the European project.

The State secretary visited the Ibero-American and European Academy of Yuste Foundation alongside its director, Juan Carlos Moreno, and the Director-General for External Action of Extremadura, Rosa Balas. This visit sought to boost cooperation with this important institution, which has its headquarters at the Yuste Monastery and has awarded the Carlos V European Prize since 1995 to figures or projects that advance European integration.

Finally, Juan González-Barba underlined the particular importance of participation by the regional government authorities in the various lines of action proposed by Spain to the EU, especially at a key time for responding to the pandemic together and accelerating the economic recovery. Cooperation between the various tiers of government - from European to local and including national and regional - is key to the management of mobility, vaccination and rollout of the Recovery Plan.

-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-

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