The Diplomat
The Government will allocate 5,600 million euros this year to foreign action with a view to achieving its goal of Spain ceasing to be “a spectator” in foreign policy and becoming a “nodal country” capable of weaving agreements and providing answers to current problems.
This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, at the end of the Council of Ministers which approved the Foreign Action Strategy 2021-2024, which sets out the priorities and objectives of foreign action and which includes, for the first time, an economic report.
The text was sent to the Parliament by the Council of Ministers on January 26th for its knowledge and debate and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, appeared for this purpose before the Foreign Affairs Commissions of the Congress and the Senate on February 18th and 25th, in debates that were clearly marked by political polarization and by the bad atmosphere created by the interference of the then second vice-president of the Government, Pablo Iglesias, in the foreign policy of the Government.
According to the Government, in the elaboration of the Strategy, coordinated by the Ministry, “all ministerial departments, constitutional bodies, autonomous communities and autonomous cities and local entities were consulted through the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces” and consultations were held with representatives of think tanks, business organizations, trade union organizations and non-governmental organizations.
“The document, which for the first time includes an economic report, was reported favorably by the Foreign Policy Council chaired by the President of the Government at its meeting of March 30″, added the Executive. The previous (and first) 2015 Foreign Action Strategy was not accompanied by any economic memory, beyond a reference to the Ministry’s budget for the 2014 fiscal year.
