Sánchez asserts in Brussels that he “completely disagrees” with the new EU budget proposal

Eduardo González Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned this Thursday in Brussels that he “completely disagrees” with the new proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034), because it lacks “ambition” and is “even more insufficient than the one initially proposed by the European Commission.” “I want to state that we are very far from an agreement from Spain’s position, firstly due to a lack of ambition regarding the size of the budget,” Sánchez told reporters upon his arrival in the EU capital to participate in the European Council meeting. The Council will address, among other issues, the next MFF, based on the negotiating framework presented by the Cypriot Presidency on June 11. This framework includes slight increases for both agricultural policy and cohesion policy compared to the Commission’s initial proposal, but continues to give greater weight to priorities such as competitiveness, security, and defense. “The proposal that has been put on the table is even more insufficient than the one initially proposed by the European Commission, and therefore, we certainly do not agree with it at all,” he added. “We are reasonably satisfied when we talk about cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy, but, in any case, we believe that this contribution, this proposal for the common agricultural policy and also for cohesion policy, must not only be maintained in nominal terms, but also in real terms,” Sánchez explained in Brussels. Furthermore, he continued, “there is also no ambitious proposal regarding competitiveness policy as a progressive government like the one I am honored to lead understands competitiveness.” “We are talking about education, training, digital development, innovation, science, the ecological transition; we are talking, in short, about policies for which, in the proposal that has been put on the table for debate, the budgets are clearly very insufficient,” he asserted. Another “element,” he continued, is “the role that Europe should play in the world.” “What we see is a clear focus on defense and security policies, and we have no objection to that, but we do see that it comes at the expense of other policies where Europe can make a difference,” he stated. “I am referring, for example, to how to respond to humanitarian crises, how to respond to those global challenges where there is a Global South that is waiting for a different response from Europe than the one traditionally given by the superpowers, in this case the United States,” he added. “Therefore, what I mean is that there are many facets, many differences; we are very far from an agreement regarding the proposed EU budget,” he insisted. “We hope that we can reach an agreement, as set by the President of the European Council, António Costa, before the end of the year, but the Spanish government expresses its skepticism because, indeed, the differences are still substantial, and therefore we believe there is much work to be done,” he added. Friends of Cohesion On Thursday, Pedro Sánchez held an informal meeting with the Friends of Cohesion group of countries, following an invitation from the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, and the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. During this meeting, "which responded to the desire to follow up on the non-paper on the Multiannual Financial Framework signed by 16 countries," the defense of traditional policies, cohesion policies, and the Common Agricultural Policy was reaffirmed, according to a statement from Moncloa Palace. In this context, the Prime Minister argued that Europe "will not be able to strengthen its competitiveness if it does not simultaneously strengthen social and territorial cohesion," and therefore reiterated that "the continuity and strengthening of traditional policies are the guarantee that economic development and growth will reach all Member States and all regions of Europe." Rejection of return policies On the subject of migration, Sánchez also reiterated his “rejection of the return policy that has been proposed and approved by the European Parliament, by the People's Party and the far right.” “We believe there are two negative aspects that justify our rejection: firstly, because it is a waste of economic resources. Policies that create or outsource migration policy to third countries are absolutely ineffective, and I think we already have enough comparative experience.” “Secondly,” he continued, “there is an added reputational problem of values, where the message that Europe is conveying is not exactly the right one. It is not about sharing the challenge of migration jointly with the countries of origin and transit countries, but rather conveying a message that this is their problem to deal with in third countries and that Europe is going to turn a blind eye.”

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