The Diplomat in Spain

The Diplomat. 03/07/2018

Spanish primer minister, Pedro Sanchez, traveled yesterday to Lisbon to hold his first meeting with the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, António Costa, who added to his new European strategy on immigration.

«In the face of common challenges such as immigration or even energy interconnections and the adaptation of our economies to a climate reality … National selfishness does not provide a solution», said Sánchez. «We are too small before the challenges that lie ahead, and that is why our attitude is constructive, loyal to the European Union, but not complacent», he added.

Sanchez and Costa were open to the reception of immigrants from other parts of the continent, marking in this way a common position much more open to foreigners than the other leaders of the EU. They also showed their willingness to coordinate together during the next negotiations to advance the economic and monetary integration of the EU, as well as in the financial perspectives from 2020, the first in the EU post-Brexit, which will involve the redistribution of quotas and european funds.

Both leaders also addressed the main issues that make up the bilateral agenda of Spain and Portugal, such as the celebration of the next Spanish-Portuguese annual summit, which this year is organized by Spain, along with energy interconnections in the Iberian Peninsula, ahead of the summit. on this subject that will remain in the Portuguese capital on July 27 with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.