The European Commission, the executive body and guardian of compliance with the Treated and the laws of Union travel this monday to Madrid To comply with the traditional visit that the College of Commissioners pays at the beginning of each semester to the country that begins to exercise the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. This is a meeting halfway between protocol and work framed in the opening events of the presidential term which, in the case of Spain, have resulted in the trip of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, to Kiev and, yesterday, the meeting with the president of European Council, Charles Michel, in the Moncloa Palace.
On this occasion, the visit of the commissioners is lackluster. The early elections and the start of the campaign have forced a late change of dates, which has left out a dozen commissioners, including vice-presidents such as Frans Timmermans (traveling in China), Maros Sefcovic (in a Brexit-related quote) or Margrethe Vestager (in Copenhagen). Others have been caught in Tokyo or The Hague, such as the head of Justice, Didier Reynderswho is absent on the eve of presenting the highly anticipated and controversial report on Rule of law in the countries of the Union.
The commissioners who meet in Madrid They are headed by the president of the school, Ursula von der Leyen. They will be received by the President of the Government and the ministers, they will visit the new Royal Collections Gallery and will hold a plenary meeting there.
It is predicted that Von der Leyen also hold a bilateral meeting with Sánchez and the commissioners meet with the government’s counterpart ministers to review the priority issues that the Union has on the table and that should receive a decisive boost during the Spanish semester. This includes, for example, the dossiers referring to the war in Ukraine, the energy and digital transition, economic issues -fiscal rules and the financial framework-, immigration and democratic and European values.
The commissioners will participate in a lunch that is expected to be attended by all members of the Government and in which the priorities of the Spanish presidency will be addressed. At the end of it, Sánchez y Von der Leyen They will appear before the press. The day will end with an official reception at the Royal Palace with the King Felipe VI.