Ian Britton

A stronger relationship between Poland and Spain could provide alternative solutions and help to achieve a stronger and more united Europe. Both countries share the experience of democratic transitions intrinsically linked to the European integration process and are the clearest examples of the benefits that come with EU membership.

The Council of the European Union

The first 100 days of the new Spanish government have been characterised by a low international profile. Its main priorities have been determined by the economic crisis: Europe as the main reference and a major boost to economic diplomacy.

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Despite the EU’s internal and broader external concerns, Poland and Spain have potential to bolster their relationship, in particular through further development of its institutional framework and from recasting the dialogue on questions such as European neighbourhood or European defense cooperation.

María Manrique

The current international context requires that Spain continue to support development and seek greater coherence between cooperation and external action.

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Spain's profile in the Mediterranean has diminished in recent years. Current events provide an opportunity for Spain to lead an enthusiastic European policy backing potential democratisation.

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This study by the European Think Tanks Group – FRIDE, DIE, ECDPM and ODI – offers an independent contribution to the European Union’s internal discussions on its future mechanisms for the complementary use of grants and loans (blending). It reviews the existing EU blending mechanisms, comparing their different governance arrangements, drawing lessons from each, and considers the pros and cons of possible future governance options for blending operations.

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It is time for Spain to reassess its African foreign policy and develop a strategic, forward-looking vision that recognises the continent’s complex reality and goes beyond charitable rhetoric centred on development aid.

MAEC

Spain has lost influence at the international level. The new Foreign Affairs Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, has neither much time nor much room for manoeuvre. FRIDE presents 10 ways in which the new minister must improve Spain’s foreign policy.

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With Spain having taken over the EU presidency, FRIDE's team of researchers offers a stock-take of Spanish foreign policy. Examining eight areas of Spain's external relations, we offer some guidelines for the improvement of the government’s foreign policy.

 

• Spain's War in Afghanistan, Edward Burke
•  Why does Spain not have a policy for Latin America?, Susanne Gratius
• Spain's Diminished Policy in the Mediterranean, Kristina Kausch
• Spain in Africa: The Reluctant Newcomer, Stefan Meyer
• Spanish Development Policies: The Obstacles to Progress, Nils-Sjard Schulz
• Spanish Foreign Policy in the Balkans: Wasted Potential, Sofía Sebastián
• Does Spain have an Ostpolitik?, Natalia Shapovalova
• Immigration and Foreign Policy: The Economic Crisis and its Challenges, Laura Tedesco

Spain has been a useful but low-key contributor to the mission in Afghanistan. It has undertaken valuable civilian work, but its military role has been more circumscribed.

Like the previous administration, the current Spanish government has failed to articulate a policy towards Latin America which focuses on cooperation and investment.

Spain’s weight and presence in the southern Mediterranean have declined in recent years.

Spain is a newcomer to Africa. Since 2004, remarkable efforts have been undertaken to put Sub-Saharan Africa on the map of Spanish foreign policy.

When the Spanish Socialist party came to power in 2004, it was faced with an aid system in decline.

Spanish foreign policy in the Balkans dates back almost exclusively to the 1990s with the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, and its participation in the region has been guided by its interest in maintaining peace and stability there.

Spain has never had a particularly strong interest in Eastern Europe. In recent years Spain has rushed to engage with Russia, due to Moscow’s importance for European security.

The PSOE government has adopted one of the most progressive immigration policies of all EU member states, and this has had a positive impact on its foreign policy.