The Diplomat
The Government of Spain assured yesterday that it welcomes with “satisfaction” the support plan for the countries of the Southern Neighborhood announced by the European Commission to mobilize 7,000 million euros with the aim of helping the region to overcome the coronavirus crisis and to shore up its efforts on issues such as security and migration.
Through a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Executive pointed out that it has strongly supported the EU institutions in the process of relaunching relations between the EU and the Southern Neighborhood.
Yesterday, the European Commission unveiled its ‘roadmap’ to help create a “stable” climate that will encourage investors to turn to the southern neighbors. The aim is to stimulate long-term socio-economic recovery and foster sustainable development by addressing the region’s structural imbalances.
To this end, it expects the plan’s 7,000 million euros to serve as a lever to mobilize up to 30,000 million in public and private investments in the region over the next decade.
In its communiqué, the Spanish government expresses its satisfaction with the Joint Communication from the Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Policy on a Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighborhood, which includes Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.
Spain considers “particularly relevant the importance that this plan attaches to the Southern Neighborhood for Europe; to the interdependence of both regions, made even more evident by the pandemic; and to the proposal to strengthen political dialogue between the two regions”.
The Government also reiterates that it will continue to support “decisively” the implementation of this plan and the strengthening of relations in these five policy areas.
The communiqué assures that Spain has supported the EU institutions in the process of relaunching relations between the EU and the Southern Neighborhood, developing a leadership role within the Union to promote this dynamic.
