This week we welcome Arancha Gonzalez Laya, Spanish economist, former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez and dean of the School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po. Israel-Hamas conflict, asylum and migration pact, climate change , it sheds light on the concerns of Europeans, a few weeks before the next elections.
Asked about Spain’s desire to recognize the State of Palestine on July 1, Arancha Gonzalez Laya believes that this recognition could perhaps contribute to maintaining the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine: “ Maybe now is the time to do it. In any case, this is clearly the point of view we have in Spain. There are other Member States who are also sympathetic to the idea of doing this now, and I believe that this is a question that will be asked of other members of the European Union. »
The dialogue continues on the challenges of managing migration in Europe and the recent Asylum and Migration Pact, adopted by the European Parliament on April 10, 2024. Arancha Gonzalez Laya highlights the need to find a balance between European responsibility and solidarity. “ We have a problem. Not with migration. We have a problem with the management of migration and I find that this pact has found a point of balance on major subjects: that of responsibility. The responsibility of the Member States of the European Union and not simply that of countries which are those which first entered the European area. According to her, this pact also found the point of balance in European solidarity: “ As with any European policy. It is not perfect, but I find that we are giving a clear signal of the capacity of the Member States of the European Union to agree to ensure better governance of migratory flows. It is certainly better than not having governance for migration in Europe. », she concludes on the subject.
While the increase in asylum requests is there with more than a million asylum seekers in 2023 and the possible return of an asylum seeker to a third country considered safe, Arancha Gonzalez Laya points to the fact that “ it is not the European Union that defines the rules. the European Union is putting them in place. The rules on asylum are international rules. There are commitments that the European Union and all its member states have made within the UN. It’s just a matter of finding the best way to implement it. Once again, we are not in the realm of perfect. We were also able to find a compromise on a subject that is difficult. (…) But let’s be clear: we have managed to bring order to an area which will reassure our citizens and which will also make us a little more responsible towards our international partners. “, she congratulates herself.
The theme of migration in Europe is, moreover, at the heart of the campaign for the European elections in June 2024. So much so that the former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs believes that the main concerns of Europeans have been forgotten, and that the consequences are already visible: “ What concerns me is that there is a sharp decline in the expected participation of European citizens in European elections. We are at 44% participation from French citizens. It’s decreasing. Compared to the last time when we saw the opposite effect. And why ? Because French citizens had the green deal as a priority. That’s what we talked about during the election campaign. This time, what we are seeing is a decrease in citizen participation. And why ? Perhaps because we are not talking about the real concerns of citizens “, she explains. “ We should be a little more sensitive to the concerns of our citizens. I believe that what interests them is the economy, purchasing power, security. We can clearly see that there is a war going on next to the European Union and that worries European citizens. For young people, the concern is climate change.(…) Let’s also focus on citizens’ questions and we may see participation rates increase. », Finally asks the dean of the School of International Affairs at Sciences Po.