Appearance before the media by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, on his arrival at the European Council

Brussels (Belgium)

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Hello, how are you? Well, I am going to make a brief statement. I answer a few questions and then we will start the Council.

I believe that this Council, as I have also said in Spain in various appearances and yesterday with President Zelenskyy, is taking place at a moment that I would say is very important for Europe.

Europe is based on the principles of multilateralism, therefore, of shared, not unilateral decisions, of international law, of peace, of respect for peaceful coexistence between nations and between societies. And that is what is being called into question once again right now in this case in the Iran war. A war that the Government of Spain and, I would say, Spanish society as a whole have condemned from the outset. Which we do not support, which we consider illegal and which, unfortunately, not only in terms of the cost in terms of human lives, displaced people and refugees, but also in terms of the pockets, in terms of the well-being of our fellow citizens, we are already beginning to suffer.

And in this sense, I would like to inform the citizens that after this Council, where we are going to talk about the responses we are going to give from an economic point of view to the effects of this illegal war in Iran, we will hold an extraordinary Council of Ministers tomorrow. I will also appear to explain the measures that will be proportional to the effects of this war and will have, as I also said yesterday in the Lower House of Parliament, two lines, two fundamental pillars.

One, to respond to the combined effects of this war by helping the sectors mainly affected. And secondly, structural measures that will be closely linked, closely related to the energy transformation that Spain has been tackling and developing for more than seven years, since I have had the honour of being president of the Government of Spain.

Because one of the aspects that we are also going to talk about, in addition to this Iranian war, is how to gain competitiveness in Europe. Unfortunately, there are political families, there are governments that are using this crisis, this rise in electricity prices, to call into question and try to weaken climate policies. I believe that Spain can show good examples of how this energy transformation, of how this commitment to renewables is making our fellow citizens, our industries, our companies, our workers, our homes suffer a lower impact on the price of gas as a result of having 60% of electricity now coming from renewable sources.

Just to give you an example for the citizens to know: last Saturday, Spain had an electricity price of 14 euros per megawatt/hour. 14 euros, keep that figure. In Italy, Germany and France it was more than 100 euros per megawatt hour. 14 euros compared to more than 100 euros per megawatt hour. And that is not by chance. This is because there has been a consistent commitment by the Government of Spain over the last eight years that has meant that today, unlike eight years ago, we are at the forefront of the deployment of renewables.

Therefore, gaining strategic autonomy, and protecting our economies, our homes, our industry, our workers and companies, from shocks such as the energy shock caused by the United States and Israel's war in Iran, and I would also say in the Middle East, because I do not want to forget Gaza or, of course, the situation in Lebanon.

So let us also talk about how to become more competitive in Europe. Spain will defend, as it has defended along with other nations and other European governments from all political families, the need, not to weaken, but to increase and strengthen green energy policies that not only allow us to respond to the challenge facing humanity, which is climate change, but also allow us to defend citizens' wallets. It allows us to defend citizens' wallets by paying less in electricity prices as a result of the implementation of renewable energies.

We will be joined by the UN Secretary General. I believe that it is very important that the message conveyed by the European Council should be along the lines of strengthening multilateralism, strengthening the United Nations system, and not weakening it either with actions, as other administrations of other governments in other parts of the world are doing, or with words or speeches that do not connect with or are not shared by the vast majority of Europeans. Certainly not the Spanish.

And finally, as you know, we will have the presence by videoconference of the president of Ukraine, whom I had the honour of receiving yesterday in Madrid, to convey to him the full commitment of Europe, and of course also of Spain, in his fight for freedom, in his fight to defend international law and in his fight to move towards the project that is Europe. Undoubtedly, Spain also shares the view that Ukraine must be part of the European Union.

In short, there are many issues, but I think there is a common denominator in all of them and that is that in times of turbulence, in times when there is a lot of fog and many citizens do not know where the world is going, but there is enormous concern at the same time, I think the most important thing is for political leaders, for governments, to uphold the principles and values that have brought us this far. With decades of peace, with decades of prosperity and with decades of certainty to be able to prosper as countries.

If we do that from Europe, I am convinced that we can end this war soon. We can bring back to the table those parties that are currently at loggerheads and find peaceful solutions to conflicts that, unfortunately, are costing not only in human lives but also in refugees. In Iran, more than 4 million people have already been displaced as a result of this war. In Lebanon, more than 800,000 people have been displaced in this war. And, finally, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, the media and the Spaniards who are following this press conference know perfectly well what the consequences are that we have been experiencing for years, since the beginning of this war.

Therefore, that is what Spain is going to defend and hopefully that is also the position that will emerge from this Council today.

Q.- [Almudena Guerrero, TVE] On relations with the German government and the Commission.

President.- Well, with regard to the German government, I can tell you that we have the best of relations, and I have said so publicly. I say it again, I think that what is important, what is relevant for me is, and I would like to thank Chancellor Merz, for the fact that in the private meeting he had with President Donald Trump, he explained to him the solidarity of Europe and of course also of Germany with Spain in the face of a threat of coercion that is not at all in line with trade policy, which they know is in the hands of the Europeans and not in the hands of national governments.

And with regard to Ursula's speech, I believe that the president of the Commission was very clear the day after the president of the Council spoke to the ambassadors of the European Union in the European Parliament. I mean, she was very clear in defending the international order and international law.

Q.- [Sandra Gallardo, RNE] Given the situation in Lebanon... are you in favour of the return of... any Spaniards in Lebanon?

President.- Well, I think that the first and most important thing for citizens who are not aware of this is that they should know that Spain has been working for many years with a significant Spanish military presence in Lebanon.

Moreover, we are doing so within the framework of a United Nations mission, which is therefore protected by international law, and for me this is very relevant, very important, which is called UNIFIL. The Government of Spain's ambition is that UNIFIL's mission will come to an end on 31 December 2026. The ambition of the Government of Spain and of many other nations, such as France, Italy and others that are present, Canada, that are present in this United Nations mission, is to continue it. We do not know if it is within the framework of the United Nations, or if it is within the framework of the European Union, but in short, I believe that it is a very important message of commitment that the Government of Spain wishes to express that the future of Lebanon concerns us, it is important to us, and of course the Government of Spain, whether under the mandate of the United Nations or also in the bilateral relationship with Lebanon, through the humanitarian aid that we are now deploying as a result of Israel's attacks. We want to continue. We want to stay. We want to remain committed to stability and to the future of Lebanon.

We are a Mediterranean country. We have always advocated 360-degree security in the framework of the European Union. In other words, we should not only look at what is happening in Ukraine or even in the Arctic, but particularly at the region that belongs to us or that we are members of, such as the Mediterranean. To be a committed actor for peace and for the stability and prosperity of nations.

Q.- [Álvaro Villarroel, Demócrata] What are your red lines regarding a possible reform of the emissions system? What can Europe do to lower gas prices...?

President.- Well, the second of the questions I think is very simple. It is a commitment to our indigenous energy, and indigenous energy in Europe is not oil, it is not gas. The indigenous energy in Europe is the sun and it is the wind. These are, therefore, mainly renewable energies.

I think the lesson that Spain can offer, coming from 2017, of having a sun tax and therefore a government that prioritised the status quo of an energy system in the hands of a few companies and therefore dominated by the consumption of energy from fossil fuels. The lesson that Spain can teach the rest of Europe is that the commitment to renewable energies is in the interests of small and medium-sized companies, of the self-employed, of workers in our country, of families, of households.

Last Saturday, thanks to the Government of Spain's commitment to renewable energies over the last eight years, the price of electricity was 14 euros per megawatt/hour, while in the main European economies it was over 100 euros.

So we are talking about facts. We are not talking about opinions, we are talking about facts, data, numbers.

And what is clear is that since this illegal war in Iran began 19 days ago, the pool in many other European countries has seen the price of electricity skyrocket as a result of the increase in gas prices. But not in the case of Spain.

Why? Because for every five hours of electricity, one is explained by the evolution of the price of gas and the other four are explained by the evolution of the price of renewable energies.

Therefore, it is in the interest not only from a climate point of view, but also in the interest of citizens' wallets, to commit to climate policies and to continue on this path of promoting renewables. And that is what the Government of Spain is going to support here in Brussels and tomorrow and in the Lower House of Parliament, when we present the Royal Decree-Law on measures against the economic effects of this, of this war.

And with regard to the red lines, look, the greenhouse gas emissions market is one of the main pillars of climate policy in Europe and in the world and, therefore, we can be open to creating certain channels for reform in order to adapt to a situation such as the one that some Member States of our common project, Europe, are currently experiencing. But certainly not to dismantle it, not to weaken it, but on the contrary, to strengthen it.

Q.- [Lluis Tovar, Tele5] On whether you will not submit the budget.

President.- As I said yesterday, we are focused on the Royal Decree Law. These are supervening crises. I think it is also very important to convey to citizens the seriousness of the moment.

I said it yesterday, I say it again today: we are not talking about just any crisis. This is not just any war, it is a sum of wars that is getting bigger, not smaller. That it is having a very real impact not only on gas and oil prices, but also on fertiliser prices and also on the so-called global south even more than we are suffering.

It is true that Spain has, shall we say, an important safeguard that we have been building over the years, which is the roll out of renewables. But I believe it is very important that citizens are aware of the seriousness of the moment, of how important this moment is, that Spain is on the right side of history and that, as we have done in other crises such as the pandemic or Putin's war in Ukraine and its energy derivative, we are going to use all the resources of the State to respond to the economic and social effects of this crisis.

And then we can talk about the budget. But now the Government of Spain is focused on this, on what is important and urgent, which is to protect, from a position of strict compliance with international legality in the face of a war that we do not endorse, to protect our citizens, as we have done from the first minute that I have had the honour of being the president of the Government of Spain.

By the way, I think that when you see that last year 41% of the jobs created in the entire European continent were created in Spain, that we are growing more than the European average thanks to an economic policy that is very different from the one implemented by other conservative administrations in other crises, such as the financial crisis. I believe that citizens must also have the certainty and confidence that what we are going to propose to Parliament next Friday in the Council of Ministers will be in the same direction of coherence and efficiency in the result.

The economic data is there, with regard to the measures that we are going to propose to Parliament.

Q.- [Raúl Piña, El Mundo] Another question about the budget.

President.- We are, we are going to work, of course, on the budget. But, the Government of Spain, like politics, like life in general, is not governed in a loyal way by one's own plans. Nobody foresaw this war in Iran.

Nobody foresaw it. I certainly did not foresee it. Did you foresee it? Surely not.

Well, obviously, the administration, in this case the Government of Spain, without forgetting what is important, has to focus on what is urgent. And what is urgent right now is this.

Q.- [Daniel Basteiro, Bloomberg] On why you have lost confidence in Indra's president.

President.- No, no. This is an issue related to an alleged conflict of interest problem. And it is SEPI that is working in Indra on this issue.

Q.- [José G. Santalla, La voz de Galicia] If you are going to have an offensive or defensive position in today's Council.

President.- I would say constructive. I believe that we in Spain have always maintained our position of respect based on our convictions, on what we believe is good for Europe and for Spain. But I would say always constructive.

We have never been a Government or a country that has come to European Councils other then to defend what we consider to be fair and beneficial for Spain and for Europe.

From there, what do I think is beneficial for Europe? So let Europe defend its values and principles, those that are in our treaties, let us defend the international rules-based order and not the law of the strongest. The fact that we defend a constructive agenda with the rest of the countries, be it the United States or the countries of our southern neighbourhood. That we stand with those who suffer violations of international law, as in the case of Ukraine, or as in the case of the Palestinian cause. We must not forget the social dimensions of all these wars and conflicts, such as the economic responses that we can give at European or national level.

And of course, something very important, very important. Let us not forget that, of course, citizens must and will be protected. In the case of Spain, as president of the Government of Spain, I guarantee this. But let us not forget the suffering of many people, of thousands of people who are displaced in Lebanon, in Iran, in Gaza, in the West Bank, as a result of these wars, of these violations of international law, in the hundreds of thousands of people who have died in these crises in Ukraine or in the Middle East.

And as a consequence of this, the moral and, I would say, political demand to stop this war and to try to find a diplomatic solution, which I believe is possible to this conflict, which no one in Europe expected and which unfortunately we are suffering the full consequences and magnitude of.

Q.- [Inaudible]

President. - I think that the most relevant thing is the work we are doing. I believe that we are all very aware of the moment, of the seriousness of the moment, of the need to move forwards with a royal decree law that gives certainty to our homes, to our companies, to our workers, to the economy in general.

In short, I appeal to this, to the responsibility of the moment and to all the parliamentary groups and also, first and foremost, to the Government, to be up to what Spanish society demands of us, and what Spanish society demands of us is protection and a long view, coherent with what we are doing in energy policy, which is what is saving us.

Today we would not have €14 per megawatt/hour, as we had last Saturday, we would have more than €100 per megawatt/hour as the big economies had last Saturday, if there had not been a consistent commitment to renewable energies as this Government has done.

And I think this is the main lesson I would like to share today with European leaders, especially with those who want to weaken climate policies in an unjustified way because the data, the facts beyond ideology and opinions show that this is strategic autonomy.

This is defending Europe's interests.

Q.- [Ian Johnston] What do you expect from Orbán at today's Council.

President.- I believe that what is expected of any president, whether of Hungary or of any other nation, is that when the Council reaches an agreement, and we reached an agreement at the end of last year, is that the agreement has to be honoured.

Q.- [Wasim, from Kuwaiti television] On whether you bring proposals to mediate in the Middle East conflict to the Council.

President.- Unfortunately, there is not yet one, but I would say that, from the High Representative of the European Union, of course, the president of the Council, the president of the Commission and myself, representing Spain, as well as many other leaders of the European Council, we support multilateralism and international law.

Today we will have the opportunity to share some reflections with the UN secretary general. And I think the message that, at least for my part, I would share with the other leaders, is that we have to engage, commit ourselves to a diplomatic solution, to the de-escalation of this war in Iran and in the Middle East as a whole.

I firmly believe that this situation is linked to all the other wars we have seen in recent years, as far as Gaza is concerned, also the West Bank and, of course, what is happening in Lebanon.

And I think it is very important to defend these principles, to commit ourselves and to stand united, and I look forward to that unity in the Council, because I think it is very important.

This is a decisive moment for the European Union, and I believe that we must send a clear message to our citizens and to the rest of the world: that Europe stands for multilateralism and international law, and that we are against this war.

We are against this war because it is illegal. There is no reason to justify it and it is causing a lot of harm to the civilian population, of course to the refugees, and the economic consequences that the whole world, especially the Global South, is already suffering.

Well, thank you very much. Thank you.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

Original speech in Spanish and English

Non official translation