Sweden took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, in a period of «historic challenges» that is marked by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and will include an intense debate to «improve» the energy market, in which Stockholm prefers not to draw red lines.
The Swedish ambassador to Spain, Teppo Tauriainen, has reviewed Wednesday the objectives of a semester that comes after a complex 2022. «The Europe we have known since the fall of the Berlin Wall seems to belong to the past,» he acknowledged at an event at the Embassy.
The war in Ukraine, he added, «is a symbol of the struggle for European values.» «Ukraine is fighting for its survival as a nation», but also «for the freedom of all Europe», according to Tauriainen, who appeared accompanied by the director of the representation of the European Commission in Spain, Maria Ángeles Benítez.
The ambassador does not foresee «in the immediate future» the end of the war in Ukraine, so in security matters he is open to act with «speed and determination» in the event of any eventuality. Both Tauriainen and Benitez also see the need for Ukraine to continue to take steps to integrate into the European «family».
Maintaining European unity in the response to the crisis is one of the great challenges of a presidency – the third since Sweden joined the EU – in which the Nordic country has set energy transition as one of its goals. The ambassador pointed out that the Russian invasion of Ukraine makes the end of fossil fuels «even more pressing».
The European Commission will put a proposal for the reform of the energy market on the table in the coming months, «fundamental» in the words of the delegate in Spain of the Community Executive, who hopes to find «consensus» during the coming months despite being one of the thorniest issues in the continental area.
«We agree that something must be done in the short term, but also in the long term,» said Tauriainen, who is in favor of «improving» the common framework.
With regard to the defense of values and the rule of law, another priority for Sweden, the representative of the EU executive acknowledged that common values are «at stake» not only because of external threats. Thus, she stated that there are challenges «inside and outside» the Union, for example to continue defending judicial independence or the fight against fraud and corruption.
Sweden is also committed to taking steps to improve European competitiveness, an area in which it hopes there will be continuity in the second half of the year, with Spain as president of the Council of the EU. Tauriainen has warned that «protectionism does not serve the interests of Europe» and has advocated an «increasingly diversified» trade to reduce dependencies, especially in strategic sectors.
«An open Europe is not synonymous with a passive or naive Europe,» said the Swedish ambassador in Madrid.
ENTRY INTO NATO Tauriainen has alluded to the pending accession to NATO and has endorsed the words of the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, who a few days ago recognized that some of the conditions that Turkey poses to complete ratification seem «impossible».
Thus, he has opted for maintaining the dialogue, but has stressed that the Nordic country has made progress on «all the points» included in the agreement signed in the margins of the summit of leaders of the Atlantic Alliance in Madrid. «We have tried to do everything possible,» he added.
The ambassador has argued that some of the things that Turkey demands are beyond the responsibility of the government, since for example in extradition issues the judicial system intervenes, therefore outside of political guidelines.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
