Spain once again left out of a key EU member state meeting

Ane Barcos/Eduardo González Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will not participate this Thursday in a meeting convened by Italy and Germany to coordinate the EU member states' position at the informal European Council summit on competitiveness, which will take place that same day in Alden Biesen, Belgium. However, a dozen leaders will attend this pre-summit meeting, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The meeting promoted by Rome and Berlin is presented as a step towards greater political coordination among member states, with the aim of aligning positions before the leaders' informal retreat. Participants are expected to discuss topics such as deregulation, revitalizing the single market, industrial competitiveness, and opening up to global trade. Italy and Germany have established a common position to strengthen the continent's industrial base and move towards the creation of an EU competitiveness fund. This approach differs from the position of French President Emmanuel Macron, who advocates for a more protectionist industrial policy. Both nations agree on the need to avoid policies that could limit access to capital and rigidify value chains, which could compromise Europe's competitiveness and create tensions with US policies. The official meeting, convened by the President of the European Council, António Costa, will focus on strengthening the Single Market and will include the participation of Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi. Spain is once again left out Pedro Sánchez's absence from this meeting is not an isolated incident. The Spanish Prime Minister did not participate, for example, in the joint declaration adopted on December 15 in Berlin by several European leaders, which reaffirmed the commitment of Europe and the United States to the security and sovereignty of Ukraine and detailed a plan of military, economic, and diplomatic support, including the creation of a multinational force to protect the country and guarantee peace in the region. Likewise, Sánchez did not participate on December 1 in a joint teleconference of several European leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to coordinate efforts within the framework of the peace plan for Ukraine. Separately, on August 18, 2025, the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Finland, along with US President Donald Trump and Zelensky, met at the White House, as did the NATO Secretary General and Ursula von der Leyen. Sánchez did not participate in that meeting, nor did any representative of the Spanish government in a teleconference held just one week later between the foreign ministers of five EU countries (Finland, France, Germany, Poland, and Italy), the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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