Germany, France, and Spain: The New European Powers?

The three main Powers, including Germany, have been running the EU, according to the prevalent narrative in English-language media. France and the UK were once members of the EU, but in the post-Brexit era, other nations like Poland The influence of Spain and Italy has increased. In particular, Spain's lack of Euroskepticism, even among the main parties, accounts for why it has arguably emerged as one of the big three foreign powers, in addition to its robust economy and expanding influence inside the EU.

The parties that are the furthest to the left and the right have not made leaving the EU or the Eurozone their political goal, and this lack of Euro-skepticism is notable given that Spain has experienced economic and migrant crises over the past ten years, as well as the severe effects of the 2008 financial crisis, which saw youth unemployment reach a record high of 55 percent. Spain has also been at the forefront of numerous European migrant crises, and since 2018, it has welcomed more refugees. The second reason that Euroskepticism hasn't really taken hold, however, is the fear of separatism because if Catalonia were to become an independent country, it's likely that the Madrid government would be able to veto Catalonia's entry into the Union. Spain applied to join the EC in 1977, less than two years after Franco's death, and he eventually joined in 1986. As a result, Spanish democracy and EU membership have become pretty indistinguishable from one another How is Spain taking the lead? Let's look at two areas to see how much breathing room it is for Spain to grow stronger within the EU. Let's begin domestically across all of the EU's members before moving on to its foreign policies. Spain has actively influenced some of the most key internal EU policies, and more recently, it has even been in charge of the EU's vital energy policy.

Spain is desperately trying to change this and as a result, Germany and Spain have been actively discussing a new gas pipeline to connect the two. As a result, Spain has been actively influencing EU policy for years. Spain has the potential to replace Russia as the EU's main natural gas hub. The country already has the EU's largest storage and regasification capacity, with 90% of this capacity coming from Algeria as of yet. Focus Africa 2023 is the name of a new initiative initiated by Spain to improve commercial connections.

By sustainable development, economic growth, and institutional improvement, for example, all falling under the purview of peace and security, this seeks to build greater economic and institutional linkages with Africa. The project seeks to increase Spain's involvement in EU initiatives, such as leading rapid action teams in Africa that improve the relationship between security forces and civilians, participating in joint investigation teams to combat terrorism and human trafficking, and fostering regional economic growth. For all intents and purposes, Spain's commercial power might also potentially result in a decrease in the flow of migrants and refugees from Northern Africa into the EU, which would be welcomed by many within the union. The EU's Focus Africa 2023 policy which sees Spain taking the helm of the entire affair, leaving the nation more dedicated to Africa and with stronger influence in the area, giving it more clout inside the EU. Next, let's talk about Latin America, where due to its linguistic and cultural links.

The EU commission pledged 147 million euros for immediate humanitarian assistance as well as medium-term assistance in 2021 as a result of the successful conference that the Spanish foreign minister organised with fellow native Joseph Burrell, the EU's foreign policy Chief, to support the needs of Venezuelan migrants. Spain has always had a significant impact. In 2020, they helped to ease visa requirements for Latin Americans inside the EU Schengen area under the alias system. With worries about South America and the Caribbean, the EU has plans for 2023 that may mobilize up to 8 billion euros of EU investment into Africa. becoming more and more governed by China and Russia The prime minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, has made Latin America a top priority for himself and for all of Europe. As a result, Sanchez is hosting a summit for the heads of the EU Latin America and the Caribbean in Madrid in the second half of 2023, which coincides with their presidency of the EU Council. Any improvement in EU Latin America relations will primarily come from Spain, which sees itself as Latin America's strongest ally within the EU. Spain has also been a leading supporter of Ukraine. Spain's largest-ever consignment of humanitarian aid included more than 200 tonnes of military equipment. and has also recently announced a new military package that includes air defense missiles, armored vehicles, ammunition, military advisors, and fuel. In terms of humanitarian aid, Spain has been one of the most charitable Nations within the EU, with over a hundred and thirty thousand Ukrainians receiving both temporary protection and a lump sum of 400 euros per month in aid from the government. If you add up all of these foreign policy action as well as their leadership, it would appear that they have a strong grasp of international relations. We'll have to wait and watch how it develops in the coming years, much like the UK when they withdraw.