The Diplomat
“A more sovereign, greener, more social and more humane Europe” are the objectives that France will promote during the six months in which it has held the Presidency of the European Union since 1 January. The French flag-raising ceremony and the handover of the Slovenian Presidency took place yesterday at the headquarters of the European Institutions in Madrid.
The ceremony, scheduled for 11 January, had to be postponed due to the death of the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, to whom the Director of the European Parliament’s Office in Spain, María Andrés, dedicated a moving tribute, which was echoed by all the participants in the ceremony.
The French Ambassador, Jean-Michel Casa, listed the priorities of his Presidency for the coming months, summarised in the slogan “recovery, empowerment, belonging”. “Economic and social recovery,” he said, “must be an opportunity to prepare the Europe of the future, to reduce our dependence on strategic sectors, to adopt a new European growth model, consistent with our ambitions in terms of ecological transition and the promotion of social rights”.
Jean-Michel Casa did not overlook the current tension with Russia, asserting that “a powerful Europe is a Europe capable of being master of its destiny and of defending its interests in global competition” and advocated “negotiation to resolve conflicts, but from a firm and united position”.
The Slovenian ambassador, Robert Krmelj, expressed his satisfaction with the progress made during the past six months, saying that “in our second presidency of the Council of the EU we have achieved many of the priorities we had set ourselves, despite the difficult circumstances”. And he added that “together we have achieved a more resilient and resistant Europe, as well as adopted the joint European measures and plans for the recovery and renewal of the European Union”.
The Secretary General for the European Union, María Lledó, stressed that “Spain shares France’s priorities for these six months”, which is why “we will continue to work closely together to advance the EU’s agenda and consolidate a fair and inclusive economic recovery, commit to the ecological and digital transition, make progress on the social agenda and continue to strengthen Europe’s role in the world”.
For her part, the Director of the European Commission Representation in Spain, María Ángeles Benítez, stressed the importance of the moment in which the French Presidency will take place. “The coming months will be critical in the context of the pandemic. The NextGenerationEU funds will transform our economies. In this context, France’s role will be decisive in advancing a Europe that protects all its citizens,” she said.
During her speech, Maria Andres said that “without losing sight of the health and climate crises, what Europe also needs in the first half of 2022 will be to make progress on the most urgent internal challenges: commitments to economic recovery, the creation of a system of own resources, the achievement of the European minimum wage and to begin to translate citizens’ demands into concrete actions“.
The event, which was attended by all the ambassadors of the EU member countries, closed with the raising of the French flag and to the strains of the Hymn of Europe, performed by young students from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid.
