Spain's Zapatero eyes EU spotlight

MADRID (AFP) -- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero takes over the rotating EU presidency on January 1 hoping that the international spotlight will reverse a slump in his popularity caused by the economic crisis.

“He has no choice, it's a golden opportunity to recover points in the opinion polls,” said Fermin Bouza, a public opinion expert at Madrid's Complutense University.

With Spain's economy mired in recession since 2008 and unemployment soaring to 17.9 percent, one of the highest rates in the European Union, Zapatero's ruling Socialist Party, first elected in 2004, is suffering.

“The economic crisis has been a key factor in the declining image of Zapatero” and “what has accelerated the decline has been the delay on his part in acknowledging the crisis,” said one analyst, Josep Ramoneda, the director of the Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona.

In a recent opinion poll in the ABC newspaper, 53 percent of those questioned rated the political situation “bad” or “very bad” compared to just nine percent who described it as “good” or “very good”.

It said 43.3 percent of those polled would vote for the conservative opposition Popular Party, compared to just 38.1 percent for the Socialists.

Now Zapatero is seeking recover from of the lost ground by becoming a star on the international stage.

“The (Spanish) presidency will put Zapatero in the international spotlight,” said a source close to the government.

Nearly two years into his second four-year mandate, Zapatero has already been placing more emphasis on international affairs than in his first term, when his focus was domestic policies, in particular sweeping social reforms.

But one problem is that Spaniards, while largely pro-EU, appear little concerned with EU issues.

Another recent poll, by the CIS institute, indicated 66.8 percent of Spaniards believe the Spanish presidency was “quite important” or “very important”, but 56.1 percent said they had “little” or “no” interest in EU matters.

In addition, the new permanent presidency of the EU, under Belgium Herman Van Rompuy, appointed under the new Lisbon reform treaty, risks blurring the vision of the Spanish presidency.

“Obviously the European presidency is more important for Zapatero than for Spaniards,” said Ramoneda, noting the international media attention that Zapatero will get in photo sessions alongside other world leaders.

Among the EU summits with third countries planned in Spain is one with U.S. President Barack Obama.

A separatist movement in the northeastern region of Catalonia could also be a major distraction during the Spain's EU presidency.

The statute, approved by the Spanish parliament and endorsed by Catalan voters in a 2006 referendum, gave the regional parliament enhanced powers.

It has the support of the vast majority of political parties in the region, and they have threatened to stage massive street demonstrations if any changes are made to it.

And it could cause major political headaches for Zapatero, who governs without an absolute majority and relies on the support of smaller parties, including the Catalan nationalist CiU, in order to pass legislation.

   Print Version     |        Back    |     Send To Friend