The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, received the European Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience, and the Circular Economy, Jessica Roswall, in Madrid this Wednesday. He expressed Spain’s commitment to the European Green Deal and the EU’s climate goals.
During the meeting, held at the ministerial headquarters in the Palacio de Viana, Albares expressed Spain’s support for a new boost for the European Union’s Green Deal, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Albares also supported the regulatory simplification proposals presented by the Commission and agreed with the commissioner on the need to maintain the EU’s climate objectives and green agenda. For the Spanish minister, according to the Foreign Office, achieving our climate objectives in a cost-effective manner is essential for economic growth, economic security, and increasing Europe’s industrial competitiveness.
Both also agreed that the benefits of the green transition must be maximized through rules-based trade and strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy. Along the same lines, they suggested that one of the priorities should be the inclusion of policies to improve risk management in the Water Resilience Strategy, which should enable Member States to withstand extreme events such as floods and droughts.