Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta commit to recognise Palestinian statehood

In a joint communiqué, these countries have expressed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is by implementing the two-state solution, with the Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side in peace and security. "It is time," said Pedro Sánchez.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, appears at a press conference at the end of the European Council meeting held in Brussels (Pool Moncloa / Fernando Calvo)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has taken part in the European Council meeting in Brussels, which has addressed issues such as increased support for Ukraine, the need to strengthen European security and defence and the crisis in Gaza, among other matters of interest, such as the reduction of bureaucratic burdens to help farmers to be more competitive, progress in the process of enlargement and reform of the EU, and the management of migration.

The President of the Government highlighted the forceful conclusions reached by the European Council on Gaza. In this regard, Pedro Sánchez stressed that these are "conclusions that reflect the position that Spain has been defending since the conflict broke out", and that "they clearly call for a ceasefire, for the opening of the land corridors, for the offensive on Rafah to be avoided, for the continued support for UNRWA's work in the strip and in the region as a whole, and for the promotion of a peace conference that leads to a two-state solution".

Pedro Sánchez argued that this is the only way to end the conflict and guarantee a lasting peace. To this effect, in the margins of the Council, the President of the Government organised a meeting this morning with the Prime Ministers of Slovenia, Ireland and Malta at which the commitment was adopted to recognise the Palestinian state in a way that contributes to the success of a peace process.

The European Council expressed its deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and its disproportionate impact on the civilian population, in particular children, and about the imminent risk of famine caused by the insufficient inflow of aid into Gaza. In this regard, European leaders have agreed to urge the Israeli government not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, which would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation.

Another aspect that European leaders addressed is the determination to increase support for Ukraine, with the creation of a specific fund for the country within the European Peace Facility of €5 billion. Nine sanctions on Russia and the use of the proceeds of frozen assets to support the Ukrainian people have also been promoted, while progress is being made on the bilateral Security Agreements that several member states are working on.

The President of the Government stressed that "Putin has not won the war, as he aimed to do. But he hasn't lost it either". In this regard, he stressed the need to immediately increase support to Ukraine to prevent setbacks on the Ukrainian front. "We must avoid this at all costs. Because what is at stake is the credibility, security and well-being of all Europeans," he stressed.

Statements by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, upon his arrival at the European Council meeting| Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

In this context, European leaders addressed the need to strengthen and modernise the European Security and Defence industry, another issue discussed in the framework of the European Council. The debate revolved around the urgency of reacting to the war in Ukraine in the short term, and of strengthening Europe's response capacity in the long term. On his arrival at the European Council, the President of the Government stressed that "Europe is a project of peace, and to guarantee this peace and space of rights and freedoms, we need to increase our capacity for dissuasion and our security and defence, so that there are no temptations on the part of authoritarian regimes to question and weaken this space of rights, freedoms and democracy, which is Europe".

The EU is committed to increasing its preparedness and capabilities to match its needs and ambition in the context of growing security threats and challenges. Pedro Sánchez stated that this reinforcement "is not to develop a war economy or escalate the conflict, but just the opposite: to ensure that the peace project that is Europe has the necessary instruments of deterrence".

The President of the Government stressed that health, energy, climate policies, digital transformation and security are all European public goods that need national and European funding.

Pedro Sánchez has highlighted the achievements made by the EU and its capacity to respond to the major challenges faced by the European project, such as the centralised purchase of vaccines during the pandemic, the approval of the NextGenerationEU Funds and the energy crisis that emerged from Putin's war, which was accompanied by a reform of the electricity market, preceded by the Iberian solution led by the Spanish and Portuguese governments. "There is a questioning of European security by a third country, which in this case is the Putin regime in Russia. We must do the same for the defence industry and for security," he stressed.

Support for European farmers

The European Council also discussed the various initiatives that have been launched by the European institutions to address the situation in the agricultural sector. In this regard, the President of the Government reiterated his support for all European farmers and highlighted the request for the European Commission to reduce bureaucratic burdens to help farmers to be more competitive.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, appears at a press conference at the end of the European Council meeting held in Brussels| Pool Moncloa / Fernando Calvo

European leaders underlined the importance of a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector for food security and the strategic autonomy of the EU. Pedro Sánchez also stressed the need to listen to the requests and concerns of the sector and to continue working to adopt short, medium and long-term measures to accompany farmers in their transition to a more sustainable and competitive agriculture that strengthens their position in the food chain, in particular to guarantee them a fair income.

Expansion and refurbishment

European leaders also discussed the reforms to be undertaken by the EU, as well as preparations for its enlargement. The President of the Government highlighted the value of the Granada Declaration adopted under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, and expressed Spain's commitment to the need for the internal reforms that the EU must undertake to progress in parallel with enlargement.

European leaders agreed to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, while welcoming both the progress made by Ukraine and Moldova in advancing the necessary reforms on their path to the EU and Georgia's ongoing efforts.

Meeting with the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres

Within the framework of the European Council, the President of the Government attended a lunch with the Secretary-General of the UN, together with other European leaders. In this context, Sánchez conveyed to Guterres Spain's full support for the UN and its leadership, highlighted our country's efforts to put an end to the conflict in Gaza to achieve sustainable peace.

He also thanked UNRWA for its ongoing work, which plays a vital role in the humanitarian response in Gaza and in the region's stability, stressing the need for the international community to continue to fund UNRWA adequately. He also emphasised the vital need to avoid further regional escalation and to reach a definitive solution to the conflict, starting with an immediate and durable ceasefire and the prevention of an offensive on Rafah at all costs.

30th anniversary of the European Economic Area Agreement

Family photo of the European Council meeting with the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the European Economic Area Agreement| Pool Moncloa / Fernando Calvo

As part of his trip to Brussels, Pedro Sánchez took part this Friday in a meeting of the European Council with the prime ministers of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to mark the 30th anniversary of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), created in 1994 with the aim of extending the provisions of the internal market to the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

The European Economic Area incorporates the four freedoms of the internal market: goods, services, capital and persons, as well as related and closely linked policies such as competition, transport, energy, environment and labour law, among others.

Euro Summit

The President of the Government took part in the Euro Summit, which brings together the heads of state and government of the eurozone countries, as well as the President of the Euro Summit and the President of the European Commission.

Pedro Sánchez stressed the importance of the new fiscal rules allowing the necessary investments to be made to support long-term growth, without renouncing the social advances achieved. In this respect, the President of the Government defended the need to build a true capital markets union, which would allow the savings of European citizens to be invested in Europe.

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• Statement by the Prime Ministers of Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain (PDF)

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• Ukraine
• Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU 2023