Reflections on the Spanish Presidency

I do not want to do a post about what, just a judgment obviously have been the highlights of the Spanish Presidency and what their weaknesses. I do not think it's time, must be read before, sift and reason all the information about already being broadcast and will air both institutional channels, the press and specialized media.

I think a review of this type deserves a detailed analysis later, and even fields. A highlight for me is with regard to cultural policies, of which I'll talk a later post.

Now I would like to make a thinking aloud about what has brought this presidency, which has had a double feature for which it has been special. The fate and destiny have wanted two things come together very noticeable in it, side entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the other the global crisis scenario and the particular situation of our country on the world stage.

Starting at the end, without doubt, the crisis has been a factor minorativo the ambitious project of work that the Government of Spain had prepared for this semester just ended. The disaster of the Greek economy which put at risk the very survival of the EMU and the financial turmoil that produce continuous speculative attacks on the Spanish sovereign debt (among which are those of Deutsche Bank!) and I must say , the little credit that our government has the time to act strongly to these dollar vultures who crave jeopardize the Euro [Exception to this view, was the month of June with the panoply diplomatic deployed, both in the EU - with the correct pressure at the Moncloa European Council on the results of banking stress that the banking system have German and British in place - or to the IMF on the financial strength of our country].

But also this semester started with another, problem?. I mean the entrance of another counter within the complex institutional structure of the EU, far beyond the comitology to use. I mean the existence of a three-headed political power: the President of the European Commission, Durao Barroso, the President of the Council presidency, José Luis R. Zapatero and the President of the European Union, Van Rompuy. In this complex way of managing the power of the EU, I think the Spanish Presidency has marked an important milestone, there was no fanfare, no outbursts, everything has flowed in semblance of normality for all European citizens (although I imagine that printing will not be the same in the services of staff and institutions paths Protocol). However, despite the problems, that there must have been, this has not been an issue of the Spanish Presidency, so that it has marked the path of how we have to work with the new structure. Imagine for a moment, what if this set-up would have been in the hands of Berlusconi, Sarkozy and Polish President (shudder, right?).

Another question would be talking about the continued absence of the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, Baroness Ashton. Does anyone know what you do?, You know it you have to do?

But to return to this brief analysis of impressions. There are two issues I want to make. A worrying excessively. At a time when the public is increasingly away from politics, and also see it as an evil to be endured (feeling very disturbing), this was an opportunity to bring the concept of citizenship in Europe . But it has failed the main, the communication link between citizens and institutions: the media. Continue ignoring the role of European institutions in the daily political agenda. There is no pan-European vision of the measures and news coming out of Brussels. Only when informed of the meetings of the European Council and Ecofin, the rest does not matter. Big mistake, in Europe everything is decided affects us daily, and this message does not reach the public. Only when citizens perceive that sense, the EU will jump forward on the democratic deficit that has yet.

I can not conclude without mentioning two things from this presidency. Within the activity that has been deployed, has tried to create nodes in the space 2.0 citizens who try to move opinion on Europe. Initiatives such as: We talk about Europe , Europeando or Challenge 2030 , are an attempt to socialize the European policies in citizen networks . It is a path that has marked this presidency and I hope to continue the rest of the chairs, especially those of the rest of the Trio , now the Belgian and the first half of 2011 the Hungarian. Furthermore, this work not only fell in the section on digital agitation was a success to make a special call for the Third Sector European Malaga last May in the European Civic Days 2010 , an action that I hope to repeat in future presidencies.

In closing I want to remember a landmark of this presidency about the participation and involvement of citizens in Europe. The impetus for the start-up, definitely of the European Citizens' Initiative . A real opportunity to bring Europe closer to citizens, giving the word effectively and openly.