The Diplomat
Sweden’s ambassador to Spain, Teppo Tauriainen, said on Thursday that the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) is in dialogue with Spain – which will take over the European semester in July – on issues such as competitiveness, a priority for the two countries’ rotating presidency.
“We are in dialogue with Spain to ensure that there is continuity and coherence between the presidencies”, said Tauriainen in a meeting with the media at the Swedish Embassy in Madrid, which was also attended by the director of the representation of the EU executive in our country, María Ángeles Benítez.
The Swedish diplomat explained that both countries are working on “the entire agenda of the European Union”, but clarified that some issues that Sweden has put on the table for progress in the coming months are “also among Spain’s priorities, such as competitiveness”, reports Efe.
“It is important for us, but it is also important for Spain“, he stressed, while recalling that this is one of the issues that will be addressed during the extraordinary European Council that Spain is organising in Granada in October.
He also pointed out that there will be other common interests on which the two will continue to work, including “the illegal, unacceptable and unprovoked invasion” of Ukraine by Russia and its “profound consequences for the global supply of food and energy” and inflation.
Security, competitiveness, green and energy transition and the defence of democratic values and the rule of law are the four priorities of the Swedish Semester, the ambassador recalled, issues that “correspond symmetrically with the work programme of the European Commission”, added María Ángeles Benítez.
“We cannot avoid the green and digital transition”, said Benítez, if we want to “get out of these crises that are hitting us”, she added.
The reform of the energy market, regulations related to economic governance and trade, the strengthening of strategic autonomy, threats to European values and the migration issue will be other elements that the Swedish Presidency will have to address and that the Spanish Presidency may inherit before the end of the current legislature.
Along these lines, the ambassador recalled Sweden’s commitment to “try to make progress” on the migration pact and to “make progress on common interests”, leaving aside “national positions”.
For his part, Benítez called for “coherence” in order to reach consensus and fulfil commitments: “There are changes of presidency and the emphasis is placed on different dossiers, but the course is one and that is what each presidency has to maintain”, he concluded.
