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04/24/2026 | Press release | Archived content

Pedro Sánchez advocates for a more ambitious European budget to strengthen strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and cohesion

Informal meeting of EU leaders

Pedro Sánchez advocates for a more ambitious European budget to strengthen strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and cohesion

President's News - 2026.4.24

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, participated in the informal meeting of European Union leaders, which addressed the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the situation in Ukraine, and the response to the impact of the crisis in the Middle East as key issues.

Nicosia (Cyprus)

Group photo of the heads of state and government of the countries participating in the informal meeting

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Pedro Sánchez reiterated the Government of Spain's opposition to the war in the Middle East, which he considers proof of the failure of the use of force, and argued that the only way forward is a negotiated solution based on international law. He also pointed out that the consequences of the war are affecting Spain and Europe, noting that, since the war began, the cost of importing fossil fuels in Europe has increased by €24 billion.

It therefore called for European measures to address the crisis stemming from this conflict, protecting the most vulnerable citizens, as well as businesses, farmers, and livestock breeders exposed to rising fertiliser prices. In this regard, he raised the need for a coordinated tax on the extraordinary profits of the energy sector to finance the measures proposed by the Commission to tackle the energy crisis. President Sánchez also proposed the implementation of a new instrument, inspired by RePowerEU, to support green transition investments with the European budget. In this context, he also suggested extending NextGenerationEU funds for a period of 6 to 12 months to bolster anti-crisis investments for the electrification and energy transformation of European economies.

The President of the Government of Spain stressed that Europe now has the opportunity to boost its strategic autonomy and accelerate electrification to avoid dependencies, and called on Member States to be ambitious with the upcoming budgets, in line with the Union's strategic priorities, such as competitiveness, innovation, the green and digital transitions, and security.

Defending international law

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, speaks to the media before the meeting | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo y Pool UE

The President of the Government of Spain pointed out that the crisis stemming from this illegal war highlights the need for Europe, as a multilateral project for peace, to defend respect for international law and the multilateral order. Otherwise, the "law of the strongest" leads to a weaker and more unstable world, as reflected in the current situation in the region.

The head of the Executive urged progress towards political solutions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and condemned the situation in the West Bank. Furthermore, he advocated for a more active involvement of the European Union in Lebanon and reaffirmed Spain's commitment to the stability of Syria.

Pedro Sánchez called for attention not to be diverted from the situation in Palestine and defended the need to adopt effective measures regarding Israel, such as imposing new sanctions or suspending the Association Agreement with the European Union. Regarding Ukraine, he welcomed the release of the €90 billion loan and emphasised the importance of the debate on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

Non official translation

Prime Minister's Office of Spain published this content on April 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 28, 2026 at 10:45 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]