The Diplomat
Juan González-Barba, who was dismissed a week ago from his post as Sate Secretary for the European Union (SEUE), has said goodbye in a “thread” published on his Twitter account, in which he expresses his satisfaction at having been able to accompany the President of the Government at the European Councils, but without making any reference to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, with whom he has had disagreements for months.
González-Barba began by expressing his desire to take stock of the two years he had been in the post, during which he said he had had “the privilege of being able to participate in many initiatives at the European level in the midst of the pandemic”.
As SEUE,” he says, “I helped negotiate crucial issues for Spain and Europe: the architecture of the Next Generation funds, intra-European mobility in the pandemic, relations with the UK post-Brexit, Gibraltar, COFOE, and the rule of law, among many others.
Thanks to them,” he added, “I have been able to see how the future of Spain is, more than ever, linked to that of the EU. Only if we do well as Europeans will we do well as Spaniards. More than ever, it is worth fighting for one of the most beautiful and visionary political projects ever conceived”.
He also points out that his position has allowed him “to meet hundreds of extraordinary people linked by the commitment to work for Spain and for Europe (and for the rest of the countries that make it up): national and European colleagues, deputies, senators and MEPs, European commissioners, officials of the EU institutions, regional and local authorities, social agents, journalists, academics, members of civil society”. He thanked them all for having “learned” and “enriched” him both professionally and personally.
González Barba underlines that accompanying the President of the Government to European Councils and trying to contribute his advice and knowledge on these occasions “has been an honour”. And he affirms: “I will never forget the long and historic European Council of July 2020, when the agreement on the Next Generation was forged”.
Afterwards, the former State Secretary indicated that he was embarking on a new professional phase, yet to be determined, and offered his support to his successor, Pascual Navarro. “My willingness to serve Spain and Europe will be a constant, as it was during the 30 years of my career as a diplomat,” he said.
He ended by thanking his team for their dedication, enthusiasm and knowledge of the dossiers, and said that he had been “a conductor who was fortunate to have a team of excellent musicians”.
