March 28. 2024. 2:36

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Spain seeks delay of PM’s EU presidency speech due to election


The move contrasts with the Spanish government’s earlier claims that the elections would in no way affect the timetable of the European presidency and that everything would go ahead as planned.

Sanchez was set to address the European Parliament’s plenary session on July 13 to outline Madrid’s main policies during the six-month presidency, but has now requested it be delayed to September, an official from Sanchez’s Office told Reuters.

With the change, EU lawmakers will be informed of Spain’s priorities for the bloc two months after the start of the mandate, opening the door for the speech to be made by the new Spanish premier who replaces Sanchez if he is defeated.

"The EU presidency will suffer during the campaign because the prime minister will have to decide whether to campaign, whether to dedicate himself to exercising his institutional role, or whether he will end up mixing the two," MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons, one of the leaders at the main opposition PP, told Reuters. The conservative People’s Party (PP) is most likely to win the elections, according to polls.

"Whatever happens, we are and will be in a position to give stability and continuity to the presidency to ensure that it is a success for the whole country, not the government in power," he said.

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