Eduardo González
Yesterday, the heads of State and Government of the EU approved the so-called “Granada Declaration”, a framework document that aims to promote the debate on “the priorities of the Union for the coming years”, with special attention to strategic autonomy and future enlargement, but in which any mention of the migration issue is avoided to avoid the veto of Poland and Hungary.
“The name of Granada, and of Spain, will be forever linked to transcendental decisions for the future of Europe,” declared the acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, during the press conference after the informal European Council, in which he also the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, participated.
The meeting concluded with a Granada Declaration whose objective, according to the text, is “to mark the beginning of the process that will define the general political orientations and priorities of the Union for the coming years and establish a line of strategic action that conforms to our common future for the benefit of all.”
To that end, and taking into account the previous 2019 Strategic Agenda and the consequences of the pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which “have tested our resilience, alleviating the need for the Union to strengthen its sovereignty”, the 27 commit, on the basis of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defense, to reinforce their defense preparedness and to invest in military capabilities through the development of their technological and industrial base.
Likewise, the Declaration calls for improving long-term resilience and competitiveness by “ensuring that the EU has all the necessary tools to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth and global leadership in this crucial decade”, with particular attention to transitions. ecological and digital, energy and resource efficiency, circularity, decarbonization, resilience to natural disasters and adaptation to climate change.
The text also defends “a more cohesive single market” and urges to guarantee “access to affordable energy”, to increase energy sovereignty and to reduce “external dependencies in other key areas in which the EU needs to develop a sufficient level of ability to ensure their economic and social well-being, such as digital and net-zero technologies, medicines and essential raw materials,” among others. “We will strengthen our position as an industrial, technological and commercial power, placing special focus on areas of high added value in which we already have a competitive advantage or can become leaders,” it continues.
The enlargement
The other major chapter of the Declaration is the enlargement of the EU, “a geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity.” “Spain joined the then European Economic Community in the mid-eighties, how are we going to oppose other countries that have been knocking at the door for years being able to integrate into the EU?” declared Pedro Sánchez during the press conference.
“Facing the prospect of an enlarged Union, both the EU and future Member States must be prepared,” the Declaration warns. Therefore, “aspiring members must intensify their reform efforts, particularly in the area of the rule of law, in line with the merit-based nature of the accession process and with the help of the EU,” it continues.
“In parallel, the Union must lay the foundations and necessary internal reforms”, establishing “our long-term ambitions and the ways to achieve them” and addressing “key issues related to our priorities and policies, as well as our capacity for action.” “The European Council will continue discussions on the future priorities of our Union in the coming months, before the adoption of the Strategic Agenda next year,” the Declaration concludes.
The text does not include any date for the enlargement, not even the year 2030, which had been considered for this. “The Declaration does not set a date and a date was never set, and it is better that we do not focus on dates,” warned Charles Michel. “Accession will be carried out based on the merits of each one, and the sole purpose of setting dates is to serve as an incentive for States to be prepared,” he added.
For her part, Ursula von der Leyen warned that, in any case, the accession process of the candidate countries will be based “on the merits” of each candidate country. “There will be no coffee for everyone or shortcuts, each person’s progress will be analyzed based on the Copenhagen criteria,” she insisted.
Migration
The text does not include a single word on the issue of migration, one of the great priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU and only two days after the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) to the EU decided in Brussels that there is a majority enough to establish a common position on the Crisis Regulation, the last obstacle to the resumption of negotiations on the Pact on Migration and Asylum before the end of the Spanish Presidency.
In fact, the reference to the migration issue was settled yesterday with an attached statement by Charles Michel in which he stated that “migration is a European challenge that requires a European response.” “We will pursue a comprehensive approach to migration that combines increased external action, comprehensive mutually beneficial partnerships with countries of origin and transit, addressing the root causes of migration, opportunities for legal migration, more effective protection of the external borders of the EU, a resolute fight against organized crime, human trafficking and smuggling, the instrumentalization of migration as a hybrid threat, the intensification of returns and internal aspects, in accordance with international law, principles and values of the EU and the protection of fundamental rights,” the text concludes.
Initially, the Grenada Declaration was going to include a point defending a “global approach” that combined “mutually beneficial” agreements with countries of origin and transit, increasing “opportunities for legal immigration,” an improvement in the protection of external borders and an acceleration of the returns of irregular migrants. However, everything came to nothing due to the opposition of the Governments of Hungary and Poland.
“I am the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. I am responsible for the security of Poland and its citizens. Therefore, as a responsible politician, I officially REJECT the entire paragraph of the summit conclusions on migration,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had written on his X account. “There is no possibility of having any kind of agreement on migration. Politically it is impossible: not only today, but in general, in the coming years,” declared Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
In any case, Michel was relatively optimistic at the press conference: “There had been no progress for years and, fortunately, within the Spanish Presidency we have made some progress in the positions and at least an agreement has been reached,” he declared. , in reference to the COREPER decision.
