• Politics Former PSOE officials ask Sánchez for a turn to centrality and pacts with the PP so as not to depend on "populists and extremists"
  • UE Sánchez is sheltered in the international agenda and avoids questions from the press after 28-M

The European People's Party is moving in Brussels to try to make Pedro Sánchez's decision to dissolve the Cortes and call early elections during Spain's presidency of the Council of the EU have consequences. The president of the party, and leader in addition to the popular in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, has officially asked the European Parliament that the traditional speech that prime ministers or presidents give at the beginning of the presidency be delayed until September, after the passage through the polls. And furthermore, he will ask the European Commission that any decision on national recovery funds also be paralyzed until there is a new government in charge.

In a letter advanced this Friday by Politico, and to which EL MUNDO has had access, Weber formally asks President Roberta Metsola to "postpone the program of activities" planned under the new circumstances. There was no fixed date at all, but Sánchez was due to appear before the plenary session of the European Parliament in the second week of July. The most normal day would have been Tuesday the 11th, early in the morning, but just on those dates, the 11th and 12th, there is a NATO summit in Lithuania, which makes it more complicated. Moncloa and Parliament had been trying for weeks to square the best moment. Since Tuesday seemed difficult, they had opted for Thursday 13, after the Lithuanian appointment. It wasn't ideal, because attendance at the end of the week is better than early in the week of plenary, but it seemed the best way to save everything.

In reality, the discourse is a problem for the government itself. It takes in the middle of the campaign, which in itself is very problematic and compromises the institutional balance between president and candidate. And although it gives visibility to Sánchez, it also exposes him to harsh criticism, reproaches and a trap of the opposition, with sticks from parties throughout the continent. The speech would be about Europe, but the chronicles, most likely, all about the subsequent scuffle with the benches.

In addition, 10 days before the vote, it would force the candidate for re-election to spend even longer outside Spain, away from the campaign. With one eye on NATO, another on rallies, and the concerns of Strasbourg. It was speculated in Moncloa to avoid the appointment even, but the request of the opposition makes now, resigning, more delicate.

A close relationship with Genoa

The EPP with Weber maintains a particularly good relationship with Feijóo's team, thanks in large part to the fact that Esteban González Pons, still formally MEP, although he spent more and more time in Genoa, was the German's number two in the group. The Bavarian has had a leading role in criticizing Sánchez in the last year, through interviews, statements or statements. The most notorious case, just a few weeks ago, was the criticism of the European Commissioner for the Environment for the Doñana case, when he accused him of "putting on the PSOE shirt" in the dispute.

In the letter, the European People's Party says that "'the Spanish presidency comes at a time when 'the EU is facing unprecedented challenges from the war in Ukraine, inflation and energy prices', in addition to conflicts over the rule of law, migration issues or problems for the competitiveness of companies. " In this context, the priorities set by the rotating presidency play a key role. The presentation of the same by the heads of State and Government in the plenary is a crucial moment from the institutional point of view, "he says. And for that reason, Sánchez's decision should force a modification of the planned calendar.

"Given these exceptional circumstances, I ask you to consider postponing the day of the presentation of the program of activities of the Spanish presidency to the September plenary session to allow the new, newly elected Spanish president to present priorities beyond domestic political battles," they tell Roberta Metsola, who is also part of the same conservative party. "I trust that this small adjustment to the institutional calendar will reinforce the legitimacy of the process, as it will strengthen our ability to meet common priorities," the letter concludes.

The decision on the speech, the last word, lies with the Conference of Presidents, the body that brings together the heads of all the groups and prepares the sittings. There will be Weber, who will bring up the issue, but also Iratxe García, who is responsible for all European socialists.

Similar situations have not been remembered in Strasbourg recently. There has been some change of government during a presidency, there have been elections during the presidency, but since 1996 there have not been both at the same time. And none affected who gave that speech, which does not really have a significance in itself. But it is part of the gear and the system of controls and demand for prominence of all institutions.

Brussels, battlefield

That the Spanish presidency was going to be a battleground in Brussels and Strasbourg was already clear before the dissolution of the Cortes. The PP MEPs, for example, refused a few weeks ago, in the previous plenary session of the chamber (it is usually once a month, more or less) to meet with the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, who came to Strasbourg to give details to all the Spanish delegations. The boycott of the popular leadership was based on the fact that Sánchez should first receive Feijóo to do the same.

Historically, they argue, government and opposition have worked reasonably together in the preparation of Spanish presidencies, with Moncloa keeping anyone in the opposition in the loop. Now, with relationships broken at almost every level, that's not the case. This would in fact make a possible transfer of power after the July elections much more difficult during the Spanish presidency.

For its part, the EPP has used all its instruments to attack the government, especially with regard to the European Next Generation funds. Spain is the most advanced country, the only one that has already received four disbursements worth 37,000 million euros in transfers that do not count for debt or deficit. As such, it is also on everyone's radar, since not only Spain is helping the Commission to generate the standards, but also from our country come the most complete data on how all phases of the plan evolve.

They leave or should leave, because one of the complaints of the EPP, and one of its most controversial figures, the also German Monika Hohlmeier, responsible for the control commission of the European Parliament for precisely these issues, is that Spain does not give information. Hohlmeier led a delegation to Madrid precisely to address these issues, and his criticisms have been used to discredit the process and denounce shortcomings.

That Vice President Nadia Calviño said last Wednesday that the Government will present next week the famous addendum to the Recovery Plan, a paper requesting up to 94,000 million more Europeans, between transfers and loans, does not help anything either. According to sources of the formation, the EPP will officially ask the European Commission to press the pause button until the Spaniards go through the polls. They believe that it is inadmissible that a caretaker government that could leave in just 50 days makes a request that can mortgage the Spanish economy for years. Especially when there is no urgency, as the deadline to make the request expires on August 31.

Weber is therefore going to ask Von der Leyen, with whom he gets along very badly and the rivalry is permanent, to paralyze decisions on the recovery and resilience fund, something that on the other hand is problematic, if not impossible. The Commission can make an informal suggestion to Spain, which is of a political nature. But the regulations are clear, and if the Ministry of Economy does indeed send the addendum, the Commission will have two months to make its evaluation, with the dates stepping on July 23.

  • General Elections
  • Pedro Sanchez

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