Spain and the United States strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the face of global challenges

Strategic partners

The Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, has shared with President Biden the priorities for the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, especially on issues that affect both countries.

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The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has met in the oval office of the Casa Blanca with the president of United States, Joe Biden. The visit takes place less than a year after both leaders signed Madrid an ambitious Joint Declaration, the first in more than 20 years, which includes multiple areas of collaboration to deepen the bilateral relationship.

 

Both leaders highlighted their joint efforts to advance the promotion of human rights, democracy, and a rules-based international order on a global scale. “President Biden, I see you as a champion of democracy, as do many citizens around the world, who never imagined that democracy would be threatened precisely in Washington"President Sánchez emphasized, "I believe that Spain and the US share common values. We are allies, friends, and strategic partners."

 

Spain will promote open strategic autonomy, aimed at reducing risks and vulnerabilities in strategic areas such as the digital economy, health, critical raw materials, energy security or food security

 

During the meeting, both leaders referred to the war in ukraineReaffirming his condemnation of Russian aggression and his firm commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Joe Biden told President Sánchez in the Oval Office of the White House, "Together we helped Ukraine. I can't thank you enough." The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of working together to achieve a just and lasting peace. respect international law and the principles contained in the United Nations Charter, as proposed by the president Zelensky in his peace formula.

The visit of the President of the Government to the White House Sánchez took place shortly before Spain assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. President Sánchez has shared with President Biden the priorities for the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, especially on issues that affect both countries. Spain will promote open strategic autonomy, aimed at reducing risks and vulnerabilities in strategic areas such as the digital economy, health, critical raw materials, energy security or food security, also strengthening alliances with other partners, such as the United States.

 

Spain intends to promote relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, a region in which Spain, the European Union and the United States share interests and which will be the subject of the EU-CELAC Summit next July

 

Bilateral commitments: Palomares, scientific cooperation and trade and investment

On the occasion of the visit, both Governments have reached important commitments that deepen the bilateral relationship and develop the 2022 Joint Declaration in multiple areas. Spain and the US are friendly countries, allies and strategic partners and they maintain a solid relationship, collaborating closely in areas such as defense and security, especially within the framework of NATO, as well as in other multilateral forums such as United Nations or the G20.

President Sánchez and President Biden have shown willingness to resolve the issue of nuclear waste in Palomares, which includes the removal of contaminated soil and its storage in the United States. The technical teams of both administrations will meet as soon as possible to develop the details of this issue in order to begin the work of transferring the waste.

Both Governments have agreed to expand scientific and technological cooperation. In the important space sector, President Sánchez has announced that Spain will join the agreements Artemis, which promote collaboration between countries with the aim of returning to the moon and preparing the future trip to Mars. Likewise, with the creation of the Spanish Space Agency, the collaboration of Spain with the NASA which has been carried out since 1964 through the facilities in Robledo de Chavela, and bilateral cooperation in space exploration will be strengthened, particularly on Mars. Furthermore, the Ministry of Science of Spain and the US Department of Energy They will promote scientific cooperation with different advanced research programs and exchange of experts in fields such as quantum research or experimentation with neutrinos, among others.

During their meeting, President Sánchez insisted on the iimportance of defending the multilateral trading system, with a modernized WTO at its center, which guarantees equality of conditions. Sánchez has stressed the importance of advancing in the trade negotiations between the US and the European Union -an issue that will be promoted under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU-, as well as in the resolution of some pending bilateral disputes, such as the issue of tariffs on Spanish black olives.

Working together to face global challenges: climate emergency, digital transformation, migration

On the other hand, both countries are going to intensify their collaboration to jointly confront the main global challenges of our time. Spain and the United States have agreed to increase their cooperation in areas such as climate change, migration, and have addressed the topics of Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors and the challenges posed by digital transformation

Presidents Sánchez and Biden share the concern regarding the weather emergency and the conviction that the green and digital transitions result in the creation of opportunities, employment and growth. To carry them out, investments and reforms are necessary to guarantee that their benefits will reach all citizens. Likewise, both leaders highlight the importance of cooperating at the multilateral level, with a view to achieving an ambitious and balanced result in the Climate Summit (COP28) in Dubai, next November, especially in order to limit the increase in the global average temperature to 1,5 °C.

Both countries will work together to fight desertification under the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), initiative launched by Spain together with Senegal in 2022. Spain, for its part, will join the US initiative “Net Zero Government” (NZGI), a commitment to reach emissions neutrality at the Government level by 2050.

 

​During the meeting, President Sánchez insisted on the importance of defending the multilateral trading system, with a modernized WTO at its center, which guarantees equal conditions

 

Spain and the US are also going to intensify their bilateral collaboration in meteorological and climate observation and forecasting, with a view to continuing to strengthen early warning systems, as well as in matters of ocean protection. Likewise, both countries are going to strengthen their technological cooperation in renewable energies, in order to accelerate their development and implementation.

Migrations are also a global issue of common interest. The United States and Spain have committed to working to promote ordered migration flows, regular and safe from Latin America, encouraging migration based on work reasons. For this, and together with Canada and United States, a trilateral cooperation framework has been agreed for the development of regional migration centers, and to expand current circular migration programs, as well as develop a complementary path for migrants and people seeking international protection.

Both countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation in regions of special interest to both. With this objective, they have stressed the importance of working together to coordinate positions related to the security or development of the Sahel. This expands the model adopted last year, when the US-Spain Working Group for Central America, and which has allowed both Administrations to work together.

Regarding the Association for the Economic Prosperity of the Americas, both countries have emphasized the importance of working with regional institutions and development banks to promote the creation of decent jobs and improve the quality of life of the citizens of that region.

Finally, Spain is going to join initiatives promoted by the U.S. government, such as the Blue Dot Network, to promote infrastructure projects that meet the highest quality standards.