Spain<\/h3>\n
The Spanish government<\/strong> appears relatively insulated from the political turbulence north of the Pyrenees. To the uncertainty of the German elections is added France\u2019s upcoming presidential race in April 2022<\/strong>, where President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> faces a crucial political test.<\/p>\n This leaves a European landscape with a new German government still in formation<\/strong>, a France in campaign mode<\/strong>, and an Italian government<\/strong>, as usual, balancing on a tightrope of internal fragility.<\/p>\n In this scenario, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/strong>\u2019s repeated intention to complete his full term through late 2023<\/strong> makes strategic sense. His influence in Europe could grow for two reasons: first, a strong Social Democratic result in Germany would reinforce his party\u2019s position continent-wide; and second, the combination of German coalition talks, the French campaign, and Italian instability means Brussels will increasingly look to Spain as a source of political stability and a key partner.<\/p>\n This may help explain the close cooperation between von der Leyen and S\u00e1nchez<\/strong> during the Afghan crisis last summer, which even brought the European Commission President to Madrid.<\/p>\n \n The situation described points to at least three foreseeable outcomes:<\/p>\n A slowdown in EU legislative activity<\/strong>, given growing political fragility in the executive and rising polarisation within the co-legislators.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Few major European initiatives<\/strong> are likely over the next year, as Germany, France, and Italy turn inward.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Spain\u2019s role will grow in importance<\/strong>\u2014S\u00e1nchez needs Europe to strengthen his position at home, and Europe needs S\u00e1nchez to remain stable.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n A marriage of convenience<\/strong>, but one both sides will depend on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few days ago, the President of the European Commission, the German Ursula von der Leyen of the European People\u2019s Party, delivered the State of the European Union Address (SOTEU) before the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The SOTEU marks the start of the new European political year and sets the Commission\u2019s…","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-informes","category-sala-de-prensa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConclusions<\/h3>\n
\n