Opinion

A review of Spanish foreign policy

photo_camera José Manuel Albares

With José Manuel Albares, Spain may be on the way to returning to having a foreign policy as a country, in which what should be a state policy par excellence is no longer used as a weapon of confrontation. This, at least, is the impression that can be drawn from the appearance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation before a large audience at the breakfast meeting organised by Nueva Economía Fórum. 

The change in language is noticeable, and it is no small thing that he did not mention the opposition even once in the hour-long answers to the thirty or so questions put to him. It is true that, as one of the interlocutors pointed out to me, Albares does not answer what the questioner would like, but at least he does not shy away from any subject, although he does answer what he considers pertinent. 

In this quick review of Spain's foreign policy, these are the main lines outlined by the head of diplomacy: 

  • We must not reduce Latin America to just three countries, in reference to Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. Of the country ruled by the tenebrous Ortega-Murillo binomial, "Spain is the country in the world that is raising its voice the loudest", because, in addition to having withdrawn its ambassador in Managua, it has already stated that "the minimum conditions are not in place for democratic elections to take place" on 7 November. 
  • With regard to Venezuela, "Spain has gone too far... we want democracy, but we also want dialogue", and it is therefore "disappointing that the Venezuelan government has abandoned the negotiation process initiated in Mexico".
  • "We are the only country in the world, as well as the EU as a whole, that has included human rights in its political dialogue with Cuba", and it should be recalled that just one day after the huge demonstration by Cuban civil society on 11 July, Spain demanded "freedom of demonstration and the release of the detained journalists". Obviously, it remains to be seen what will happen in the face of the new demonstration by Cuban civil society on 15 November, which has already been banned by the Havana authorities, making a right fully recognised in the Cuban constitution a dead letter.
On Poland, Russia, the Indo-Pacific and the EU
  • "The EU must send a strong message about Poland", a strong signal that Europe cannot be wielded when it is in its interest and ignored or ignored when it is not. "Those who do not respect the rule of law place themselves outside the EU... but only together can we move forward [in European integration]". 
  • "There are obvious differences between Russia and the EU, but they need not be irreconcilable". 
  • On China, "the world of the future must be built by all of us". But the first thing the EU should agree on is to define the role we want to play in the Indo-Pacific region, and "we would do well to go together".
  • "We are not giving up sovereignty over Gibraltar at all, but the immediate thing is to create a zone of shared prosperity from which the 260,000 Spaniards who live in the Campo de Gibraltar can benefit". 
The Southern Neighbourhood 
  • "I have the assurance of the Algerian government that the supply of gas to Spain is guaranteed". With regard to Morocco, Spain has a calm relationship and a strategic partnership that should grow". As for the Sahara, "Spain is promoting the centrality of the United Nations, and we are encouraging consensus in the search for a solution". 
  • If we broaden our gaze to the Mediterranean as a whole, José Manuel Albares places it as a central issue in Spanish policy, among other things because it is there that many of the problems that affect us are produced. On 29 November, a face-to-face meeting will be held in Barcelona between the EU and the countries of the so-called Southern Neighbourhood. "Many challenges and their solutions will be there, because without stability in the Mediterranean it will be very difficult for the world to improve". The minister insists that Africa is the continent of the future and that it is essential to help boost its development. 
  • He described relations with France as excellent, a country with which, without expressly agreeing, we have the same vision of Europe. "Together with Germany, it will continue to be the driving force behind the construction of Europe, whoever its leaders may be", in reference to the recent German elections and next year's presidential elections in France. The minister described outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel as "a person who always opted for European solutions” and predicted that the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz "will be a great Chancellor".
Global challenges
  • Spain, like no other country, cannot face the great global challenges of the immediate future alone, especially that of climate change, which requires universal measures and actions. Albares therefore acknowledged the enormous advantages of belonging to a European Union that, in his opinion, is "at a time that is both worrying and hopeful". He blames the former on growing polarisation. The second is that the pandemic has suddenly resolved the false debate about the alleged remoteness of the European institutions from their citizens: "Thanks to the joint action of the EU-27 under the leadership of the European Commission, the biggest crisis on the continent in the last 100 years has been overcome". 
  • There are still two years to go before Spain takes over the rotating presidency, and the programme has yet to be defined. However, the current head of Spanish diplomacy is clear that relations with Latin America and the Southern Neighbourhood will be priority issues on the menu for the next presidency.