Aquí Europa/The Diplomat
Luxembourg hosts two important meetings on the EU calendar this Tuesday: the General Affairs Council (GAC) and the Environment Council (ENVI), where Spain is represented by the Secretaries of State for the European Union and the Environment, respectively. Both meetings are part of the preparatory cycle for the next European Council and address key issues for the Union’s political and environmental agenda.
At the General Affairs Council, the State Secretary for the European Union, Fernando Sampedro Marín, will participate in deliberations focused on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, the simplification legislative packages, and the preparations for the October European Council. Also on the agenda are the Article 7 proceedings against Hungary for possible violations of the rule of law, as well as progress on the European Shield for Democracy, the new EU initiative aimed at protecting electoral processes and strengthening institutional transparency against disinformation and outside interference.
For his part, State Secretary Hugo Morán Fernández is attending the Environment Council, which is focused on three major areas of work: the preparation of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), the European Water Resilience Strategy, and the development of the European Ocean Pact, an initiative that seeks to strengthen the protection of marine ecosystems and promote sustainable governance of aquatic resources.
The Luxembourg meetings are taking place in a context of renewed debate on Europe’s ecological transition and the reform of the budgetary framework, two pillars on which the next decade of EU policies will be built. In this regard, Spain reaffirms its commitment to an integrative vision of sustainability, combining economic competitiveness with environmental protection and the strengthening of the European project.
The General Affairs and Environment Councils also constitute a key platform for coordination between Member States and the Commission, especially on the eve of a new institutional cycle marked by the negotiation of the MFF and the implementation of the priorities of the next European mandate. Luxembourg thus becomes, once again, a meeting point for the Union’s main political orientations and its desire for consensus on major common challenges.