Spain branding EU

Spain takes the helm of the EU - a role which will define how member states work with the new EU president and foreign policy chief.Council of Europe, the supreme governing body comprising the heads of the EU states and governments, will have a permanent president. Herman Van Rompuy, the former Belgian Prime Minister, will begin his first 2.5-year EU presidential term on January 1, 2010.Spain will chair important EU ministerial meetings on the economy, eurozone policy, the environment and energy, as well as other sectors to prepare the regular spring and fall EU summits and to coordinate EU foreign policy.

Spain on its 4th rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union Spain is going to be the driving force behind the birth of a new Union, following the Treaty of Lisbon coming into effect on 1 December, which creates significant expectations for the 27 countries and 500 million Europeans who currently make up the great European project.Presidential conveys during the first six months of 2010, we do not only have the important challenge of implementing the Treaty of Lisbon; we are also going to have to take on such vital tasks as economic recovery following the international financial crisis and revitalising the European Union’s position in the international order.

The Spanish Presidency is based on two main principles: innovation, not only technological, but also economic, institutional and political, and equality, used in the broadest sense of the term, to include equal opportunities, gender equality and solidarity between social groups, regions and states

With reports in the media Mr Van Rompuy will chair a special EU economic summit on 11 February and further on 25 March EU leaders will try to agree on the economic strategy for the next decade. EU-US summit in Madrid on 25 May is tesing time for EU leadersip on matters of climate change,fiscal crisis and countries taking lead at varios ministers meet to creates its International brand as collective unit forothers region to follow suit.

Spanish have never been too shy about breaking with formalities. Until Europe gets used to having a permanent president, Van Rompuy will share his powers with the country that once called Belgium the Spanish Netherlands.Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero has promised that the Spanish presidency will leave a noticeable mark on the history of the EU, despite this duality of power.The Iberian presidency may propel the EU towards the signing of a new partnership and cooperation agreement with Russia to replace the PCA, which was prolonged several times after it was due to expire in late 2007.

Europe also needs a new PCA agreement with Russia because of the unsolved problem of the Ukrainian gas and oil corridors linking Russia with the EU. Shortly before Spain took over the EU presidency, Russia warned that Ukraine's unfriendly moves could theoretically complicate oil deliveries to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline.
Although the EU authorities do not think the oil problem could be as acute as the gas one, they are "ready to closely monitor the situation."

Spain, an EU leader in terms of renewable energy resources (solar and wind energy), intends to advocate for the introduction of these technologies in the EU.
EU diplomats also say a new PCA agreement could be signed during Spain's presidency. BBC reports list of EU summits with third countries that will be held in Spain: Morocco (7-8 March), Canada (10 May), Mexico (15-16 May), Latin America and Caribbean (18-19 May), United States (25 May), and Egypt (5 June).
EU has another major initiative with neighbouring countries - the Eastern Partnership, launched in May this year, aims to build closer ties with six former Soviet republics- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Croatia is eager to conclude its accession talks with the EU in 2010, their intiative for membership in 2011. And its Balkan neighbours too in the queue to join at some future date,with Iceland and Turkey.

But in July 2008 France - the then holder of the EU presidency - launched a 43-nation Union for the Mediterranean, which included North African countries, and that may get a boost from Spain's presidency. It made little progress in 2009.


EU is coming to see that Russia has other options and is not doing Russia a favour by buying its oil and gas. Brussels is not fully convinced that it will have no energy problems with Russia either. Spain is preparing to turn the EU in the direction the international organization previously addressed rarely and unwillingly, Latin America, where Madrid has considerable ties, trade and economic interests.

Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero first outlined, and Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos later elaborated, the Latin American strategy of Spain's presidency. Spain will encourage Brussels to expand political, trade and economic relations with all Latin American countries.Spain would like the EU to develop trade with Colombia and Peru, its former colonies, and to sign an agreement of association with all Central American countries.

Spain believes that the EU should have initiated dialogue with Cuba long ago and encouraged the U.S. to lift its embargo on the island. It has also announced the intention to use its EU presidency to facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Middle East.

Spain may try to rehabilitate the EU economies is to convene an extraordinary EU summit in February to discuss its economic strategy and economic revival measures. EU economy has started growing again, but it has not yet fully overcome the consequences of the global crisis.EU faces threat the upcoming strike by the employees of the European Commission and other EU agencies. They have threatened to paralyze Europe unless they are given the 3.7% raise in salaries they were promised in October.

Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands and Poland say the raise is excessive amid the general decline in salaries in the EU, and insist that it be limited to 1.8%.Trade unions of the EU clerks have announced that this meager increase would cost the EU dearly as they have 45,000 members, more than the Belgian army has service members, and could easily bring life in Brussels to a standstill.Media agencies